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A infografia mostra os locais dos ataques e o alcance dos drones que se julga na posse dos rebeldes Houtjis do Iémen.
GN39516PT

MÉDIO ORIENTE

Ataques ao petróleo saudita podem agravar a tensão EUA-Irão

By Jordi Bou

September 16, 2019 - Os EUA dizem que o Irão está por trás de dois ataques ao setor petrolífero saudita que fizeram disparar os preços do petróleo. Teerão desmente envolvimento nos ataques reivindicados pelos rebeldes Houthi do Iémen.

The attacks on Abqaiq – the world’s biggest petroleum processing facility – and the Khurais oilfield, both run by the Saudi state oil company Aramco, knocked out more than half of the Kingdom’s output.

The U.S. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. was “locked and loaded” and ready to respond to the strikes.

Satellite images issued by the U.S. government show multiple points of impact and that attacks came from west-north-west direction, suggesting launch sites in northern Gulf, Iran or Iraq.

Iran has denied claims it was responsible for the attacks, with Iranian officials also warning that US military assets in the region were within range of its missiles.

If the strikes did originate from Yemen, there is evidence that Houthi forces have obtained drone technology in the last year that is capable of reaching the oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.

According to a panel reporting to the UN Security Council, since September 2018, six drones have been collected that were used by Houthi forces for reconnaissance or attack purposes.

These UAV-X drones contain more powerful engines than the previously studied Qasef-1 drones, which did not allow Houthi rebels to strike further than the southern border regions of Saudi Arabia from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 16/09/2019; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Associated Press
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