Iran-aligned armed groups may have received Russian satellite intelligence that could help them attack targets in Saudi Arabia. That possibility is examined in a journalistic investigation based on sources' accounts and an analysis of the sequence of attacks.
The specialist firm AURORAH Geosignal Intelligence analyzed 40 missile and drone attacks in Saudi Arabia between July 1 and October 19. It assessed that Russian state and military satellite activity was observed over the target areas before and after each of the attacks examined. AP identified affected sites including pumping stations on a major Saudi oil pipeline and a military air base where an Italian aircraft was damaged. A coincidence between satellite passes and attacks does not itself prove that intelligence was shared.
Three interviewees, including representatives of Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, as well as a private analyst, said Iran-aligned groups had used Russian intelligence. Some also referred to Chinese capabilities. These statements are not equivalent to publicly available documents establishing specific channels through which such information was passed.
The published evidence does not establish who might have passed images or intelligence to the groups, when this occurred or how information was transmitted in each of the 40 incidents. AP reports sources' claims and the correlation between satellite activity and attacks, but does not present open documentary proof of the entire alleged intelligence-sharing chain.