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Iran Says Attack on Saudi Oil Facility Came from Yemen as ‘Warning’

The Iranian government’s Twitter account says that according to President Hassan Rouhani, “The Yemenis… haven’t hit a hospital, they haven’t hit a school, they haven’t hit [a] Sanaa bazaar. They just hit an industrial center… to warn you.” The remarks, said to have come after a Wednesday cabinet meeting, alluded to a massive Saturday attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities that reduced the country’s petroleum output by half, at least for now. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility, saying they launched a ‘large-scale” strike by 10 drones. The Shi’ite group has been attacking Saudi targets such as oil pipelines and airfields for the past several months. The US, however, is blaming Tehran. Washington says the damage indicates an even larger number of airborne weapons, some capable of a much higher level of precision, and that they came from Iranian territory to the northeast rather than the Houthis’ stronghold in Yemen, which is to the southwest. Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said it would provide “material evidence” of Iran’s involvement at a news conference late on Wednesday.