Following the September 14, 2019 Iranian attack on two major Aramco facilities in Saudi Arabia, Syrian writer Ali Nasrallah wrote in his September 19 column in the Syrian government Al-Thawra daily that if the Arab coalition headed by Saudi Arabia did not end its military operation against the Houthis in Yemen, there would be further attacks on Aramco facilities as well as on other oil companies' facilities in the Gulf.
In his column, Nasrallah mocked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, calling him "Salmanco" – after Aramco – and warned that attacks on vital Saudi facilities would "cut Salmanco's lifeline and paralyze not only Aramco" but also other institutions in the Gulf.
Ali Nasrallah (source: Al-Thawra, Syria, September 19, 2019)
The following is a translation of the main points of Nasrallah's column.[1]
"[The fate of] Aramco and the glass cities of UAE and the Wahhabi kingdom [i.e. Saudi Arabia] is currently in the foolish hands of [those leading] the operation [against Yemen], known as [Operation] Storm of Determination and, later, Operation Renewal of Hope.[2] Salmanco [i.e. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman] and his father [King Salman bin 'Abd Al-'Aziz] thought it would take no more than a few weeks for Yemen to become a Wahhabi-Zionist proxy state through which they would realize their ambitions of controlling the sea ports and trade routes – after which the Israel-UAE-Saudi-U.S. vision for the region would be complete.
"[But] the weeks passed, and next April will mark the fifth anniversary of the killing, aggression, and destruction [campaign] against Yemen and its citizens. Yet not one of the U.S.-Israel-Wahhabi-UAE goals has been achieved. In fact, [even] before April 2020, the situation [in Yemen] may become the opposite of what they planned – especially if the foolish acts of [U.S. President] Donald Trump will lead [him] to do what he feared to do [i.e. attack Iran] after the downing of the [American] RQ-4 Global Hawk [drone],[3] and what his predecessors feared to do as well, despite intense motivation to do so.
"It may not be too soon to discuss options and assumptions regarding the imminent escalation of the conflict, perhaps even within a few weeks. But it is [also] possible that [the escalation] will be delayed because of the hesitancy discernable in Trump's relentless speeches and statements, [which indicate that his taking military action] depends on [the following]: 1) Salmanco's paying for so-called defense; 2) the outcomes of consultations with [Trump's] allies and supporters...; 3) the outcomes of the (foolish) investigations into the origin of the drones that set fire to the Aramco [facilities]; 4) the outcome of [Israel's] elections for [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu; 5) the situation of Trump himself, who faces the next election after having fired his [national security advisor] John Bolton.
"What does all this mean? One thing only, and that is to say, Iran and not Yemen. There is no intention of stopping the fighting in Yemen. [On the contrary, the intention is] to destroy and starve it [i.e. Yemen] and implement the plan to take control of its territory and ports, while at the same time delivering a blow to Iran on the pretext that it is interfering in and encouraging [the war in Yemen]. When [will this happen?] When all the previous plans of attack, that spared none of the resistance axis, have failed.
"Everyone is aware of the timing. Winter is coming; oil prices may rise and there may be even bigger surprises with regard to oil supply, because in light of the aggression [against Yemen] and the threat of its expansion, who's to say that the Aramco [attack] will not recur? [Maybe] there will be not one but several operations, aimed not just at curbing this aggression, but also at forcing an end to it...
"Whether it was drones or missiles that struck the [Aramco] target, the goal was achieved with a sophisticated and advanced Yemeni response to the aggression [against Yemen] – [aggression] which must cease forthwith so that all those involved in it can be held to account. The stupidity inherent in this situation is revealed by the question 'Where were the U.S. warships, navy, satellites, missile systems, and immense capabilities? Why did they not intercept or counter that [attack]? Are they made of cardboard, or maybe their presence is merely for the purpose of extortion.
"A continuation of [Saudi] aggression against Yemen will guarantee recurring attacks [on facilities belonging to Aramco and other oil companies]. Moreover, perhaps continued attacks are a sure recipe for expanding the cycle of pain inflicted on the Saudi enemy – by attacking other vital facilities [in Saudi Arabia] to cut Salmanco's lifeline and paralyze not only Aramco [but also other institutions in the Gulf]."
[1] Al-Thawra (Syria), September 19, 2019.
[2] Operation Storm of Determination, launched March 26, 2019 by the Arab states' coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, was directed against the Houthis in Yemen. On April 21, the Saudis announced the conclusion of this operation and the beginning of Operation Return of Hope, aimed at finding a political solution for the Yemen crisis.
[3] Alarabiya.net, June 20, 2019.
