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Inside Iran's Plot to Attack Saudi Arabia
(Reuters) Four months before a swarm of drones and missiles crippled the world's biggest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia on Sep. 14, Iranian security officials gathered to discuss attacking high-value targets, including American military bases, according to people familiar with the meeting. Stopping short of direct confrontation that could trigger a devastating U.S. response, Iran opted instead to target oil installations of America's ally. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei approved the operation, but instructed Iranian forces to avoid hitting any civilians or Americans. A Middle East source said the launch site for the attack was the Ahvaz air base in southwest Iran. Rather than fly directly from Iran to Saudi Arabia over the Gulf, the missiles and drones took circuitous paths to mask Iran's involvement. Some of the craft flew over Iraq and Kuwait, according to a Western intelligence source. In one of the final meetings ahead of the Saudi attack, a Revolutionary Guards commander told senior security officials, "Start planning for the next one."