Top story at the Asia Times:
Missile and drone attacks most likely launched by pro-Iranian militias operating openly in Iraq
It is growing more certain that the attacks on the Khurais oil field and the Abqaiq oil processing center in Saudi Arabia were launched from southern Iraq and not from Yemen by the Houthis. This was made clear by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who said: “There is no evidence the attacks came from Yemen.”....MUCH MORE
While Pompeo put the blame squarely on Iran, he did not say where the attacks originated. Meanwhile, the Saudi Arabian Air Force launched retaliatory attacks on Houthis military sites in Yemen.
Yahia Sarie, the military spokesman for the Houthi forces in Yemen, appearing on al-Masirah satellite news channel in a short TV address, claiming the Houthis had launched 10 suicide drones and had help in targeting Saudi oil facilities from “intelligence” sources inside Saudi Arabia.
But sources in Iraq and Washington say the attacks were launched from Iraq, most likely from pro-Iranian militias operating in the open and guided by Iran’s al-Quds (Revolutionary Guards) forces, led by Major General Qasem Soleimani. It was this same force that recently attempted to launch a swarming drone attack on Israel.
It is possible that Soleimani feared some deal emerging between the Iranian government and the United States, and launched this attack as a preemptive strike. But offsetting this thesis is the fact that the preparation for this strike took some time and required the movement of a lot of equipment from Iran to Iraq, and careful intelligence about the Saudi targets. This weighs against the preemption theory.
But whichever way, there isn’t much doubt in the minds of Iraqi observers.
The leading Iraqi analyst based in the United States is Entifadh Qanbar, President and Founder of the Future Foundation. He previously served as Iraq’s deputy military attaché and as the spokesman and adviser for Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister. He closely follows developments in his home country and has many associates feeding him information that has more than once proved to be accurate. His information about the attack coming from Iraq is backed by prior history and by Pompeo’s clear declaration.
As Qanbar knows, this attack would not be the first time Iran has used Iraq to hit Saudi oil facilities. At least one major previous attack was launched by Iraqi militias and the Iranians from Iraqi territory. Last June the Wall Street Journal carried an important report, based on conclusions reached by US officials, that a May 14 drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil industry originated in southern Iraq. According to the Journal, when challenged by the United States, Iraqi officials requested more information and claimed there was no conclusive evidence the attacks originated on their territory.
There are a number of Iranian-guided Shia militias in Iraq that have received drones from Iran.
Former senior Iraqi officials in Washington, who are opponents of the current Iraqi government they view as compromised by Iran, believe the likely culprit is Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba (Movement of the Party of God’s Nobles). Hezbollah al-Nujaba had been heavily involved in the fighting in Syria and has received from Iran and operated a drone called the Yasir UAV (drone), based on the US Boeing-Insitu ScanEagle.....
