Elena Teslova
17 September 2019•Update: 17 September 2019
MOSCOW
Head of the Russian Intelligence Service on Tuesday warned of a possible war scenario following drone attacks on two facilities of Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company Aramco.
"The threat [of war scenario] certainly, exists. But I hope for a peaceful settlement," Sergey Naryshkin told reporters in Moscow.
On Saturday, drone strikes were carried out on two oil facilities of Aramco.
Following the incident, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Iran was behind the attack by coordinating drone strikes, with the U.S. media reporting that war options were discussed in the White House.
On Monday, the Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack and warned the foreign companies and workers against coming close to the company's units which might "be targeted again".
In a separate statement, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow is examining the possible impact of the incident both on the oil markets and international security.
"There is no trustworthy information so far, therefore, the time is needed for the analysis," Peskov said.
Since 2015, the Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Thousands of Yemenis were killed and the country was pushed to the brink of famine.
In recent months, Houthis, whose mid- and long-range ballistic missiles are usually intercepted by Saudi air defense systems, have targeted certain strategic parts of Saudi Arabia with armed drones.
