Saudi says it destroyed bomb-laden drone ship off its coast

The potential attack come as the war in Yemen rages and Iran sits down for another round of nuclear talks

Saudi said the ship had been destroyed (Wikipedia)

Saudi Arabia said it located and destroyed a bomb-laden unmanned ship early this morning, averting a possible attack on sea vessels exiting and entering a key Red Sea port.

Ministry of Defence Brigadier General Turki al-Maliki said in a statement reported by the official Saudi Press Agency, that naval units were able to detect and monitor the sea-borne attack drone near the King Fahd Port off the coast of the city of Yanbu.

“The explosive [drone] was engaged in accordance with the rules of engagement,” said the statement.

The report came after sightings of black smoke from ships at the port and fears that another merchant ship or oil tanker was subject to an attack in the troubled waters of the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean.

It comes amid surging tensions between regional powers and tit-for-tat targeting of maritime vessels. 

Arch-rivals Iran and Israel have accused each other of being behind a series of attacks on ships associated with their nation’s commerce and trade. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have also accused Iran of being behind a series of attacks over the last two years targeting their shipping operations and ports. 

Iranian allied Houthi rebels fighting against pro-Saudi forces in the fierce, disastrous six-year war in Yemen have also claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on energy infrastructure in the kingdom. 

Iranian deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi in Vienna as nuclear talks were ab out to resume (Getty Images)

“The immediate conclusion is that this incident is connected to the Yemen conflict and may be related to other Houthi activity against Saudi ports in recent months,” said a report by Neptune P2P Group, a maritime security consultancy.

Saudi Arabia has targeted suspected Houthi drone ships before, including in an incident last August also near a Red Sea port. The US military has expressed concern about Houthi use of remote-controlled boats loaded with explosives for several years.

“You don’t need suicide attackers to do a suicide-like attack,” Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan told Defense News in 2017

The destruction of the drone ship comes as Iran and representatives of world powers gather in Vienna for another round of talks over reviving the 2015 nuclear deal. Former US President Donald Trump abandoned the deal, arguing in part it failed to address the concerns of American regional partners such as Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Israel vehemently opposes the nuclear deal, and Saudi Arabia has asked that Iran’s regional activities— especially its support for armed groups such as the Houthis — be included in any discussions.