2019 Abqaiq–Khurais attack: On 14 September 2019, drones were used to attack the state-ownedSaudi Aramco oil processing facilities at Abqaiq (Biqayq in Arabic) and Khurais in eastern Saudi Arabia. The Houthi movement in Yemenclaimed responsibility, tying it to events surrounding the Saudi Arabian intervention in the Yemeni Civil War and stating they used ten drones in the attack launched from Yemen, south of the facilities. Saudi Arabian officials said that many more drones and cruise missiles were used for the attack and originated from the north and east, and that they were of Iranian manufacture. The United States and Saudi Arabia have stated that Iran was behind the attack while France, Germany, and the United Kingdom jointly stated Iran bears responsibility for it. Iran has denied any involvement. The situation has exacerbated the Persian Gulf crisis.
The attack caused large fires at the processing facility which, according to the Saudi Arabian interior ministry, were put out several hours later. Both facilities were shut down for repairs, cutting Saudi Arabia's oil production by about half – representing about 5% of global oil production – and causing some destabilization of global financial markets. Saudi Arabia's energy ministry said that the country would tap into its oil reserves to maintain export levels until the facilities return to full capacity by the end of September.
The United States explained the attack by stating that the pro-government forces had "initiated an unprovoked attack against well-established Syrian Democratic Forces headquarters" in the area, while coalition service members were "co-located with SDF partners during the attack 8 kilometers (5 mi) east of the agreed-upon Euphrates River de-confliction line". The RussianMinistry of Defence's statement, released on 8 February 2018, referred to the incident at the village of Salihiyah (located south of the SDF-held town of Abu Hamam in the Abu Kamal District) and said that it was caused by reconnaissance actions of Syrian militias that had not been cleared with the Russian operations command; the statement stressed that there were no Russian service members in the "designated district of the Deir ez-Zor province of Syria".
The U.S. military stated that one hundred Syrian pro-government fighters were killed in the U.S. attack, prompting Syria to accuse the United States of carrying out a "brutal massacre" of its troops and Russia to accuse the U.S. of being economically motivated in its actions, citing nearby oil fields. As unconfirmed accounts of casualties among Russian Wagner Group mercenaries in the strike emerged, the incident was billed by media as "the first deadly clash between citizens of Russia and the United States since the Cold War".
