IS SAUDI PONDERING BUYING THE TURKISH DRONES?

Tue 16 March 2021:

Saudi Twitter is abuzz with the speculation that the Saudi kingdom may be considering purchasing military level drones from Ankara.

Mujtahidd is one of the famous Twitter accounts in Saudi Arabia, boasting a following of 2.3 million users. One of its latest posts has created ripples in Saudi media since it makes a tall claim that a consignment of Turkish armed drones has arrived in Saudi’s Taif Air Base. 

The Saudi Kingdom, according to Mujtahidd, has allegedly purchased Turkish drones, a move that some suggest would help change the fate of the conflict in Yemen.  “Observers consider it to be the only sound decision MBS has made,” Mujtahidd wrote. 

Although there is no official confirmation from Turkey and Saudi Arabia, Mujtahidd went on to claim that the Turkish drones were deployed in the skies of the Yemeni city of Marib on March 13, where it has “hit experimental targets”.

These unsubstantiated claims prompted a wave of speculation in the Saudi media, which discussed the possibility of Riyadh having bought Turkey’s most potent Bayraktar drones. 

Mujtahidd is well known across Saudi Arabia and abroad for his astute observations on the kingdom’s internal politics and foreign policy manoeuvres. 

“The training of Saudi crews to operate Bayraktar aircraft has begun, and experimental targets have been chosen in Marib, and they succeeded with great success,” the tweet read. 

The Twitter handle made the prediction that the drones would be widely used in forthcoming days or weeks.

Bayraktar TB-2 is a medium altitude long endurance (MALE) tactical unmanned aerial vehicle capable of conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as armed attack missions.

Quoting Saudi media reports, several Turkish media organisations carried the story, highlighting that Qatar may be acting as a mediator between Riyadh and Ankara and drawing a new, strategic roadmap between the two countries.  

Saudi media also commented on the new Biden administration’s decision of restricting Riyadh’s use of American-made weapons in economically fragile and war-affected countries like Yemen and Libya. Many Saudi analysts argued that US President Joe Biden’s approach has forced Saudi Arabia to find new opportunities to continue its longstanding operations in Yemen.

Regular Yemeni attacks on Saudi territories

Iran-backed Houthis have regularly launched rocket and drone attacks on Saudi territories in response to the Saudi-led coalition’s assault on Yemen.

Yemen has been wracked by violence and instability since 2014, when the Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises with nearly 80 percent or about 30 million of its people needing humanitarian assistance and protection. More than 13 million are in danger of starving to death.

Last week, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its ‘concerns’ over increasing attacks on Saudi territories.

The ministry urged “for an immediate cessation of these attacks,” criticising ballistic missile and drone attacks on Saudi Aramco’s facilities.