Only the US and China spend more on their military than Saudi Arabia’s $67.6 billion. Iran is a piker at $13.2 billion. Saudi Arabia has 5 E-3 AWACS aircraft with radars that can ‘see’ low-level targets, like terrain following cruise missiles, but they don’t seem to use them much. Despite claims about Iran being the major threat in the region, the Saudis say their air defenses were concentrated in the South.

The Houthi have already made a similar attack on a target more than 800 miles into Saudi territory, so these attacks are within their known skill set. The weapons used have guidance systems, so the direction of the final attack may have more to do with the terrain around the target than the launch point.

The Saudis have equipment but it isn’t clear that they know how to use it. If they knew how to use the tools they had purchased, they would have known where the attack had come from, even if they couldn’t have stopped it.

Iran and Iraq had a very nasty war that included gas attacks and suicide charges between 1980 to 1988, but neither attacked the other’s oil facilities. It makes no sense for Iran to do it now, as they would expect their facilities to be attacked in retaliation. The Saudis have been pounding the Houthi for years, and the Houthi have no major facilities left to lose.

Position: 40.0N 58.0W [10:00PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North-Northeast [030°] near 20 mph [31 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 100 mph [155 kph].
Wind Gusts: 120 mph [195 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 380 miles [610 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 80 miles [130 km].
Minimum central pressure: 965 mb ↑.

Currently about 525 miles [ 845 km] South-Southwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland.

This is the final NHC advisory

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 18.0N 57.2W [10:00PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [295°] near 16 mph [26 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 105 mph [165 kph].
Wind Gusts: 130 mph [210 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 80 miles [130 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 25 miles [ 35 km].
Minimum central pressure: 976 mb ↓.

Currently about 385 miles [ 625 km] East of the Northern Leeward Islands.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for St. Maarten; St. Martin; St. Barthelemy; Saba and St. Eustatius.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

It’ll be double rations of grog all around in the galley as ye throw the pasta and pesto down your gullet for the final day of Pasta Week, on Talk Like a Pirate Day.
Arr…
Belay that! ‘T’would be better done by swilling lambrusco directly from the flask!
Arr…