Saudis spotted testing missiles
A Saudi military base appears to be testing – and pos s ibl y manufactur ing – ballistic missiles, satellite images and experts suggest.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Pr ince Mohammed bin Salman raised the stakes for such a programme when he said last year that the kingdom would not hesitate to develop nuclear weapons if Iran does.
Bal l istic missi les can carry nuclear warheads to targets thousands of miles away.
Off icials in the capital Riyadh and the Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.
Having a programme could further strain relations with the US, the kingdom’s longtime security partner, at a time when ties already are being tested after the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and the Saudi- led war in Yemen.
Jeffrey Lewis, a missile expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studie s in Monterey, California, said: “I would be a little worried that we’re under-estimating the Saudis’ ambitions here.”
The images, first reported by the Washington Post, show what appear to be structures big enough to bui ld and fuel bal l istic missiles.
Saudi Arabia, along with Israel and the US, have long cr i t ic ised I ran’s ballistic missile programme, viewing it as a regional threat.