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Greek-Operated System Shoots Down Missile, Drone Over Saudi
Confirmed
In Short: Greek military personnel operating a Patriot air defense system in Saudi Arabia intercepted a ballistic missile and a drone targeting the kingdom's facilities.
Greek military personnel operating a Patriot air defense system in Saudi Arabia intercepted a ballistic missile and a drone targeting the kingdom's facilities on Thursday, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera.
Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed they had launched missile and drone attacks on what they described as a 'sensitive target' in Riyadh and on Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu.
Major General Turki al-Malki, the spokesman for the Saudi-backed Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, confirmed that Saudi air defenses intercepted some of the missiles attempting to target the cities of Taif and Yanbu.
Yanbu port is crucial to Saudi crude oil shipments, especially when routes through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted.
Earlier on Thursday, Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Civil Defence issued alerts warning of potential danger in several areas, including Mecca, Tabuk, Jeddah, and Yanbu.
Forces with Yemen's Saudi-backed internationally recognized government said they repelled Houthi attacks along several fronts in Yemen's southwestern Taiz governorate.
This incident marks the fifth time the Greek-operated system has been used in combat since the US and Israel launched their war with Iran at the end of February.
Since 2021, Greece has deployed a US-made Patriot air defense battery operated by Greek personnel in Saudi Arabia to help protect the kingdom's energy facilities.
What this adds
The sources have not established the exact origin of the drone and the ballistic missile intercepted by the Greek Patriot system.
The Greek security source did not provide further details on the origin of the intercepted weapons.
Background
A Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv and surrounding areas injured at least 18 people, including children, according to Ukrainian authorities.
What's confirmed
- The attacks came as the Reuters news agency reported that an air defence system operated by Greek military personnel in Saudi Arabia intercepted a ballistic missile and a drone on Thursday in the wider Yanbu region, home to major oil refining facilities.
- “Both were shot down,” a Greek security source told Reuters, adding that the Greek Patriot system launched two missiles but did not give details on the origin of the drone and the ballistic missile.
- Earlier on Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Civil Defence issued alerts warning of potential danger in the holy city of Mecca, the northwestern area of Tabuk, the Red Sea areas of Jeddah and Yanbu and the southern area of Taif.
What's still developing
- Last week, Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a drone launched by the Houthis towards Mecca, an accusation the group strongly denied, with Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi calling the Saudi claims “a heinous lie”.