Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: The American military and others in the Middle East are now on high alert after Saudi Arabia and the United States exchanged intelligence warnings of an impending Iranian attack on sites in the Middle East, according to Saudi and American officials.
According to the officials, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and several others, nearby nations have raised the level of alert for their armed forces in reaction to the warning. They didn’t give any additional information about Saudi intelligence. American F-22 fighter jets are already in Saudi Arabia to respond to any threats. The US military is not expected to be a target thus there hasn’t been a rise in protection levels in the area, the officials stated.
Ned Price, a spokesman for the State Department, remarked that the US is “concerned about the threat picture” and “is in constant contact with the Saudis through military, diplomatic, and intelligence channels.”
We won’t hesitate to act in defence of our interests and our partners in the region if we do have information that is precise, that is credible, that could potentially pose a threat to the American citizen community.
Ned Price remarked
The US state department spokesman further added that he was not aware of any public warnings issued through the embassy about a threat and confirmed that the State Department is required to inform citizens.
As said by sources, the US thinks Iran may be attempting to draw attention to Saudi Arabia, whom Iran accuses of supporting unrest.
The main regional rival of Saudi Arabia is Iran, and in 2016 after Iranian protesters invaded the Saudi embassy in Tehran in retaliation for Saudi Arabia’s killing of a Shiite cleric, Riyadh officially broke diplomatic ties with Tehran. Recent attacks on oil installations by Houthi rebels with Iranian support in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have also sparked worries that the region’s energy infrastructure may become a target for Iranian provocations.
In recent months, Saudi and Iranian officials have secretly met to talk about security-related problems, such as the conflict in Yemen between the Houthis and a Saudi-backed military alliance.
However, a tenuous cease-fire between the parties ran its course last month, which resulted in heightened tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia.