Saudi Attacks Reveal Oil Supply Fragility in Asymmetric War
- Drone strikes show rising threat from disruptive technologies
- Damage to Abqaiq oil-processing plant halves Saudi oil output
This article is for subscribers only.
The latest and most destructive attacks on Saudi oil facilities provide stark evidence of the vulnerability of global crude supply in an age of disruptive technologies that can bring a century-old industry to its knees -- at least temporarily.
From remote-controlled drones to anti-ship mines and computer worms, hostile parties have employed an unpredictable array of asymmetric weaponry to confound one of the best-equipped militaries in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia blames many of the attacks against its oil assets on Houthi rebels in impoverished Yemen, where Saudi forces have been fighting since 2015 in a civil war that’s spilling across their shared border.