Russia sees the US air defense network's inability to repel the strike on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia as evidence of Washington's activities in the Middle East collapsing in all spheres, Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry, said Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th September, 2019) Russia sees the US air defense network's inability to repel the strike on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia as evidence of Washington's activities in the middle East collapsing in all spheres, Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry, said Friday.
Over the weekend, Saudi Aramco had to close two of its facilities after they were hit by drones and then caught fire. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo commented on the work of Saudi air defenses, which include the US Patriot system, saying that "we've seen air defense systems all around the world have mixed success."
"Much of what the United States has been doing in the Middle East does not seem to be political anymore, but resembles a complete collapse ... in all spheres. Two years ago, US missiles did not hit their target, now the US air defense systems did not repel an attack. This is all connected," Zakharova said at a news conference.
The spokeswoman added that the United States' failure to repel the attack showed on a regional level that the superpower could not guarantee global security.
On Thursday, a senior Russian Defense Ministry source said that the US Patriot and Aegis air defense systems failed to repel the attack due to their low efficiency in combating small-sized air targets and cruise missiles.
As a result of the incident, Saudi Arabia's daily oil output halved and oil prices surged worldwide. While Yemen's Houthis have claimed responsibility for the attack, the United States has blamed Iran, allegations which Tehran has denied.
