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Gerald Butt
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Saudis opt for words not weapons

The kingdom sees Iran's hand behind the recent attacks but is holding fire for now

Saudis were shocked and angered by the audacious drone assault on oil facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais. But, as efforts were made to maintain the flow of crude oil out of the kingdom, the official reaction to the devastating attacks was surprisingly restrained. The cabinet was not summoned into emergency session, nor were there immediate calls for retaliation. The Saudis have presented evidence that they say proves the drones and missiles used were Iranian and were not fired from Yemen. They also believe that Iran was involved in launching the weapons. But, in general, the focus has been on portraying the incident as an act of terrorism against vital energy targets that should concern the wh

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