Saudi Arabia – Satellite imaging taken by IHS Jane’s Intelligence Review as part of a series updating Saudi Arabia’s missile capabilities has revealed a strategic missile base—believed to have developed over the past five years—which shows two launch pads, one aimed in the direction of Israel, the other, Iran.
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The TELEGRAPH (http://bit.ly/16sdmoX) reports that the missile base, located about 125 miles south-west of Riyadh, serves as both a training and launch facility and features two circle-shaped launch pads with compass markings clearly indicating the direction of a launch.
An IHS Jane deputy editor said its assessment is that the base is either “fully” or “partially” operational, and that while they cannot be certain that the launch pads are directly facing Tel Aviv and Tehran respectively, it would be “expected” that the targets of any launch would be “major cities.”
David Butler, an associate fellow of the Middle East and North Africa program at the London-based foreign affairs think-tank Chatham House, said it should come as “little surprise” that the Saudis would be developing a “deterrent” program.
This is ancient news. Saudi Arabia bought Chinese SSMs during the Iran/Iraq “War of the Cities.” That was decades ago. (I wonder if even one of those things can still fly. I bet you a dollar they have not been maintained.)
are these American made missiles? There’s your American Taxpayers money at work. THANK YOU MR PRESIDENT HUSSEIN
They are Chinese missiles. Prince Whathisname wrote about his secret mission to buy the fool things in his book, Desert Warrior.
I would have thought that Saudi Arabia and Israel, at least, share mutual concerns on Iran.
Well, I think it is very remarkable that when Saddam was missiling Saudi Arabia, the Saudis did not return the favor. I have always figured the American air force didn’t need any help. It is also possible that the things have just rusted out. In any case, the missiles are there now, they were there last week, and they were there ten years ago. This is not news.