![This image provided by the U.S. government and DigitalGlobe and annotated by the source, shows damage to the infrastructure at Saudi Aramco's Khurais oil field in Buqyaq, Saudi Arabia. The drone attack Saturday on Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq plant and its Khurais oil field led to the interruption of an estimated 5.7 million barrels of the kingdom's crude oil production per day, equivalent to more than 5% of the world's daily supply. AP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/WRTUIO6MNYDO2FOPGF6GBEEUSU.jpg?smart=true&auth=f1738b5b75d41a20cb919f93c0f2def6c529fe8dc9f0cb2e6a58853b48d9913b&width=400&height=225)
![This image provided by the U.S. government and DigitalGlobe and annotated by the source, shows damage to the infrastructure at Saudi Aramco's Abaqaiq oil processing facility in Buqyaq, Saudi Arabia. The drone attack Saturday on Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq plant and its Khurais oil field led to the interruption of an estimated 5.7 million barrels of the kingdom's crude oil production per day, equivalent to more than 5% of the world's daily supply. AP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/OCJJGKONPQWSJZ4ZARFMUSJNPU.jpg?smart=true&auth=ebbda0ebab41d28b56ab29d61f549aba08ddd6a9ba45dec99700de407b4d8ba0&width=400&height=225)
![an Aramco oil facility at the edge of the Saudi capital Riyadh. Saudi Arabia raced today to restart operations at oil plants hit by drone attacks which slashed its production by half, as Iran dismissed US claims it was behind the assault.
The Tehran-backed Huthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is bogged down in a five-year war, have claimed thi weekend's strikes on two plants owned by state giant Aramco in eastern Saudi Arabia. AFP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/JSWLPTOEJPGREH7PT4ON3RWAZU.jpg?smart=true&auth=635751dc3076d7e1f8346c5caea1bd1dce164b2e0ea8b8770a7427e28b040b81&width=400&height=225)
![An Aramco oil facility near al-Khurj area, just south of the Saudi capital Riyadh. Saudi Arabia raced today to restart operations at oil plants hit by drone attacks which slashed its production by half, as Iran dismissed US claims it was behind the assault.
The Tehran-backed Huthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is bogged down in a five-year war, have claimed thi weekend's strikes on two plants owned by state giant Aramco in eastern Saudi Arabia. AFP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/OZOGGQCI3BESNR6CNM5SQ33FJE.jpg?smart=true&auth=1eb6ee50981c6568d8c97dd0d6d5ec60bc3f0713fc5d899771d5c5b44141f404&width=400&height=225)
![A satellite image from Planet Labs Inc., shows thick black smoke rising from Saudi Aramco's Abqaiq oil processing facility in Buqyaq, Saudi Arabia.The weekend drone attack on one of the world’s largest crude oil processing plants that dramatically cut into global oil supplies is the most visible sign yet of how Aramco’s stability and security is directly linked to that of its owner -- the Saudi government and its ruling family. AP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IHU27YACZMR43G4WX72ENBVN7U.jpg?smart=true&auth=dc560a558ae598a9020cc8c65a2d69b674e9eb04234040fa1e61528239f27698&width=400&height=225)
![A false-color image from the European Commission's Sentinel-2 satellite shows Saudi Aramco's Abqaiq oil processing facility in Buqyaq, Saudi Arabia. Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed to have launched drone attacks on the world's largest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia and a major oil field Saturday, sparking huge fires and halting about half of the supplies from the world's largest exporter of oil. Black char marks at the center of the facility suggest the attack struck at the heart of the processing facility. AP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/6C3AJQRQC3LVPB2UED2CQN4MJM.jpg?smart=true&auth=fbdf18625380a318329e22c7629ea8d6d166ee9b5fb7a424e2c1d517228a2d91&width=400&height=225)
![This image provided by the U.S. government and DigitalGlobe and annotated by the source, shows a pre-strike overview at Saudi Aramco's Khurais oil field in Buqyaq, Saudi Arabia. The drone attack Saturday on Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq plant and its Khurais oil field led to the interruption of an estimated 5.7 million barrels of the kingdom's crude oil production per day, equivalent to more than 5% of the world's daily supply. AP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/KCVEJZ2IAA4RKM4TNFI2BGI54U.jpg?smart=true&auth=531cb603d86eaf9af2da69b8fac0795c3a4c53c601f512069b1be3157ee093a3&width=400&height=225)
![This image provided by the U.S. government and DigitalGlobe and annotated by the source, shows damage to the infrastructure at at Saudi Aramco's Kuirais oil field in Buqyaq, Saudi Arabia. The drone attack Saturday on Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq plant and its Khurais oil field led to the interruption of an estimated 5.7 million barrels of the kingdom's crude oil production per day, equivalent to more than 5% of the world's daily supply. AP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/4FDSW3W54LRWEJAORFJBOE7MCA.jpg?smart=true&auth=39d078839d8e3cbc3c45898d357933e08b009276f32a934466a5c0f96884415f&width=400&height=225)
![This image provided by the U.S. government and DigitalGlobe and annotated by the source, shows a pre-strike overview at Saudi Aramco's Abaqaiq oil processing facility in Buqyaq, Saudi Arabia. The drone attack Saturday on Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq plant and its Khurais oil field led to the interruption of an estimated 5.7 million barrels of the kingdom's crude oil production per day, equivalent to more than 5% of the world's daily supply. AP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/Z7CWX5JG32RZBFF7IH3TFJ3BZA.jpg?smart=true&auth=1e48123592aeba4989a43548a3c8ef15b722f1733da5e4f3cf629aad3e228dfc&width=400&height=225)
![A satellite image provided by NASA Worldview shows fires following drone strikes on two major oil installation owned by the state giant Aramco, in eastern Saudi Arabia, and claimed by the Tehran-backed Huthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is bogged down in a five-year war. Saudi Arabia raced on September 15, 2019 to restart operations at oil plants hit by drone attacks which slashed its production by half, as Iran dismissed US claims it was behind the assault. The peninsula in the image is Qatar and the island (top) is Bahrain. AFP PHOTO / NASA Worldview](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/EHGBCBFZ23N4QNUQLNTBUHGCRA.jpg?smart=true&auth=dfdbdf607b3eb2e8cbc6c40c269670a1f22fb7fce0db6cc69003526efb9c5145&width=400&height=225)
![This image provided by the U.S. government and DigitalGlobe and annotated by the source, shows damage to the infrastructure at Saudi Aramco's Khurais oil field in Buqyaq, Saudi Arabia. The drone attack Saturday on Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq plant and its Khurais oil field led to the interruption of an estimated 5.7 million barrels of the kingdom's crude oil production per day, equivalent to more than 5% of the world's daily supply. AP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/WRTUIO6MNYDO2FOPGF6GBEEUSU.jpg?smart=true&auth=f1738b5b75d41a20cb919f93c0f2def6c529fe8dc9f0cb2e6a58853b48d9913b&width=400&height=225)
![This image provided by the U.S. government and DigitalGlobe and annotated by the source, shows damage to the infrastructure at Saudi Aramco's Abaqaiq oil processing facility in Buqyaq, Saudi Arabia. The drone attack Saturday on Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq plant and its Khurais oil field led to the interruption of an estimated 5.7 million barrels of the kingdom's crude oil production per day, equivalent to more than 5% of the world's daily supply. AP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/OCJJGKONPQWSJZ4ZARFMUSJNPU.jpg?smart=true&auth=ebbda0ebab41d28b56ab29d61f549aba08ddd6a9ba45dec99700de407b4d8ba0&width=400&height=225)
![an Aramco oil facility at the edge of the Saudi capital Riyadh. Saudi Arabia raced today to restart operations at oil plants hit by drone attacks which slashed its production by half, as Iran dismissed US claims it was behind the assault.
The Tehran-backed Huthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is bogged down in a five-year war, have claimed thi weekend's strikes on two plants owned by state giant Aramco in eastern Saudi Arabia. AFP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/JSWLPTOEJPGREH7PT4ON3RWAZU.jpg?smart=true&auth=635751dc3076d7e1f8346c5caea1bd1dce164b2e0ea8b8770a7427e28b040b81&width=400&height=225)
![An Aramco oil facility near al-Khurj area, just south of the Saudi capital Riyadh. Saudi Arabia raced today to restart operations at oil plants hit by drone attacks which slashed its production by half, as Iran dismissed US claims it was behind the assault.
The Tehran-backed Huthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is bogged down in a five-year war, have claimed thi weekend's strikes on two plants owned by state giant Aramco in eastern Saudi Arabia. AFP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/OZOGGQCI3BESNR6CNM5SQ33FJE.jpg?smart=true&auth=1eb6ee50981c6568d8c97dd0d6d5ec60bc3f0713fc5d899771d5c5b44141f404&width=400&height=225)
![A satellite image from Planet Labs Inc., shows thick black smoke rising from Saudi Aramco's Abqaiq oil processing facility in Buqyaq, Saudi Arabia.The weekend drone attack on one of the world’s largest crude oil processing plants that dramatically cut into global oil supplies is the most visible sign yet of how Aramco’s stability and security is directly linked to that of its owner -- the Saudi government and its ruling family. AP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IHU27YACZMR43G4WX72ENBVN7U.jpg?smart=true&auth=dc560a558ae598a9020cc8c65a2d69b674e9eb04234040fa1e61528239f27698&width=400&height=225)
![A false-color image from the European Commission's Sentinel-2 satellite shows Saudi Aramco's Abqaiq oil processing facility in Buqyaq, Saudi Arabia. Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed to have launched drone attacks on the world's largest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia and a major oil field Saturday, sparking huge fires and halting about half of the supplies from the world's largest exporter of oil. Black char marks at the center of the facility suggest the attack struck at the heart of the processing facility. AP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/6C3AJQRQC3LVPB2UED2CQN4MJM.jpg?smart=true&auth=fbdf18625380a318329e22c7629ea8d6d166ee9b5fb7a424e2c1d517228a2d91&width=400&height=225)
![This image provided by the U.S. government and DigitalGlobe and annotated by the source, shows a pre-strike overview at Saudi Aramco's Khurais oil field in Buqyaq, Saudi Arabia. The drone attack Saturday on Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq plant and its Khurais oil field led to the interruption of an estimated 5.7 million barrels of the kingdom's crude oil production per day, equivalent to more than 5% of the world's daily supply. AP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/KCVEJZ2IAA4RKM4TNFI2BGI54U.jpg?smart=true&auth=531cb603d86eaf9af2da69b8fac0795c3a4c53c601f512069b1be3157ee093a3&width=400&height=225)
![This image provided by the U.S. government and DigitalGlobe and annotated by the source, shows damage to the infrastructure at at Saudi Aramco's Kuirais oil field in Buqyaq, Saudi Arabia. The drone attack Saturday on Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq plant and its Khurais oil field led to the interruption of an estimated 5.7 million barrels of the kingdom's crude oil production per day, equivalent to more than 5% of the world's daily supply. AP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/4FDSW3W54LRWEJAORFJBOE7MCA.jpg?smart=true&auth=39d078839d8e3cbc3c45898d357933e08b009276f32a934466a5c0f96884415f&width=400&height=225)
![This image provided by the U.S. government and DigitalGlobe and annotated by the source, shows a pre-strike overview at Saudi Aramco's Abaqaiq oil processing facility in Buqyaq, Saudi Arabia. The drone attack Saturday on Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq plant and its Khurais oil field led to the interruption of an estimated 5.7 million barrels of the kingdom's crude oil production per day, equivalent to more than 5% of the world's daily supply. AP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/Z7CWX5JG32RZBFF7IH3TFJ3BZA.jpg?smart=true&auth=1e48123592aeba4989a43548a3c8ef15b722f1733da5e4f3cf629aad3e228dfc&width=400&height=225)
![A satellite image provided by NASA Worldview shows fires following drone strikes on two major oil installation owned by the state giant Aramco, in eastern Saudi Arabia, and claimed by the Tehran-backed Huthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is bogged down in a five-year war. Saudi Arabia raced on September 15, 2019 to restart operations at oil plants hit by drone attacks which slashed its production by half, as Iran dismissed US claims it was behind the assault. The peninsula in the image is Qatar and the island (top) is Bahrain. AFP PHOTO / NASA Worldview](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/EHGBCBFZ23N4QNUQLNTBUHGCRA.jpg?smart=true&auth=dfdbdf607b3eb2e8cbc6c40c269670a1f22fb7fce0db6cc69003526efb9c5145&width=400&height=225)
![This image provided by the U.S. government and DigitalGlobe and annotated by the source, shows damage to the infrastructure at Saudi Aramco's Khurais oil field in Buqyaq, Saudi Arabia. The drone attack Saturday on Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq plant and its Khurais oil field led to the interruption of an estimated 5.7 million barrels of the kingdom's crude oil production per day, equivalent to more than 5% of the world's daily supply. AP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/WRTUIO6MNYDO2FOPGF6GBEEUSU.jpg?smart=true&auth=f1738b5b75d41a20cb919f93c0f2def6c529fe8dc9f0cb2e6a58853b48d9913b&width=400&height=225)
US report on Saudi Aramco attack shows strikes came from north
US Envoy for Iran says ‘no plausible alternatives to Iranian responsibility’ as probe shows similarities between Iranian-produced drones and attack wreckages
The National
December 20, 2019
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