Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has alleged that Russia repeatedly captured satellite images of a key US airbase in Saudi Arabia in the days leading up to an Iranian strike that wounded American troops. On March 20, 25, 23 Russian satellites photographed the Prince Sultan Air Base, just before Iran attacked the same, as stated by Zelensky. In an interview with NBC News, he said with ‘100 percent’ confidence that Moscow was collaborating with Tehran on intelligence matters, implying that the two pooled cooperation can be part of the plot to attack the base. The Ukrainian leader said the news was grounded on regular intelligence briefs assembled by the agencies of his country.
Did Russia Provide Satellite Images To Iran Before The Strike On US Air Base In Saudi Arabia?
The very fact of the attack was an important intensification in the current US-Iran conflict. Iran allegedly launched six ballistic missiles and 29 drones towards the Prince Sultan Air Base that houses both US troops and the Saudi troops. The officials quoted by the Associated Press confirmed that at least 15 troops were injured in the attack, 5 of them seriously, contrary to previous estimates in the US which suggested that the injured totaled about 10. The event is a contribution to the increasing casualty of American troops as the war escalated in late February with hundreds injured and a number of troops dying in the warfare until now.
Zelensky Russia-Iran claim
Zelensky also asserted that recurring satellite images can often be a prelude to an operation being taken by the military, stating that it is a trend in Russian previous actions. The report however reported that no public release of the satellite images was done and the allegations could not be independently confirmed. In addition to expanding the conflict, Zelensky is also working with the Gulf countries to sell Ukraine air defence systems, putting them into a competitive position of counteracting missile and drone threats like those experienced in the area. In the meantime, the larger war is gradually growing, throwing into question the tightening of alliances and the threat of an even wider conflict regionally.
