The Houthis staged a drone attack on Saudi oil refinery Aramco in Riyadh on July 18th. Houthi leadership claimed the strike was a success, while Saudi media wrote it off as a limited fire caused by an “operational incident”. Iranian television was quick to provide video footage of what it dubbed a “retaliatory operation.”
This attack is the latest in a series of attempts by the Shiite proxy to carry out deadly strikes against Saudi and UAE military and civilian targets. Also in the month of July, the Houthis posted footage of a new UAV in their arsenal dropping small bombs on Saudi/Emirati-led Coalition forces.
The Houthis have carried out numerous “kamikaze” attacks against Saudi Patriot missile installations in an attempt to weaken the kingdom’s defense systems enabling their missile strikes to penetrate the anti-missile shield.
Going After UAE Targets
Days later, the Houthis followed up with claims of an attack against Abu-Dhabi airport. The United Arab Emirates denied these reports.
Recent battlefield successes appear to reinforce the notion that Tehran is not only supplying Houthi fighters with advanced military equipment but also providing its Yemeni proxy valuable tactical advice.
Simplified Models Increase Threats
In recent years, developing technology has allowed unmanned aerial vehicles to become a far greater threat than the occasional paparazzi spying incident or intrusion into a sporting event.
As drones have become more affordable and learning to fly a consumer model has turned into mere child’s play, rogue regimes and terrorist groups have begun tapping into this valuable entity. Terrorist attacks and state espionage carried out from the safety of the open skies have become a real and present danger facing anti-terrorism units worldwide.
As the threats have increased, security firms have scrambled to meet the new challenge. A number of solutions are currently available that allow operators to neutralize drones by hacking into their WiFi or jamming their signal.
