NPR

What We Know About The Attack On Saudi Oil Facilities

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia claim Iran is behind the attack. Iran denies involvement. Here's what the physical evidence shows.
A photograph taken by the commercial satellite company Planet shows the Abqaiq facility shortly after an attack on Sept. 14.

On Sept. 14, a major Saudi oil processing plant was rocked by a series of explosions. The facility, and another oil field to the south, had been attacked from the air. Here's what we know — at this time — about the attacks based on physical evidence.

The strike was large and sophisticated

Images from commercial satellites released by the U.S. government show at least 17 points of impact at the two sites. The larger facility,. Within that vast plant, the perpetrators seemed to have singled out valuable equipment that would be difficult to replace and storage tanks that might contain flammable materials.

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