The Ministry of Energy said that the country would tap into its oil reserves to maintain export levels until the facilities return to full capacity by the end of September.

A CNBC report offered multiple potential explanations, including that Patriot is optimized for interceping "high-altitude ballistic missiles" and that the Saudi troops operating the defenses "have 'low readiness, low competence, and are largely inattentive.

'"[14] The Guardian newspaper wrote that the defenses "would likely have been pointed across the Gulf towards Iran and south towards Yemen, but at least some of the missiles and drones are believed to have struck from the west.

[17] Analysis of satellite images of the Abqaiq facility before and after the attacks appear to show 19 individual strikes: 14 that punctured storage tanks, three that disabled oil processing trains, and two more that damaged no equipment.

[27] According to Justin Bronk, research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, "the cost curve is very favorable to the attacker, meaning Saudi Arabia would have to spend far more than its enemies to protect against additional strike capabilities.

"[25] In an initial report on 14 September 2019, the Saudi Arabian interior ministry did not identify the source of the attack, but stated they had begun an investigation.

"[28][29] Hours after the attack, the Houthis said in a statement that they sent ten newly developed drones equipped with propeller and turbojet engines[30] to disable the oil production facilities, and vowed to send more against a wider range of Saudi targets.

They said they attacked in retaliation for the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, which began in 2015, has killed thousands of Yemeni civilians, and has created a famine and a humanitarian crisis described in 2019 as the worst in the world.

[31][32][33][13] A military spokesman for the Houthis said, "These attacks are our right, and we promise the Saudi regime that the next operation will be wider and more painful if blockade and aggression continues".

[11][34] In the weeks before the Abqaiq–Khurais attack, similar drone strikes on Saudi Arabian oil production infrastructure had caused no significant damage.

[36][37] The military spokesman said that the Sept. 14 attacks came after a "careful intelligence operation, prior monitoring and cooperation from honorable and freedom-seeking people within the kingdom".

Later, the Houthis used the Quds 1,[41] which is a small ground launched cruise missile that was possibly used in the 12 June 2019 Abha International Airport attack, which occurred in southwestern Saudi Arabia.

[47][48][49][50] At a press conference on 18 September, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said that they had launched a serious attack and Americans were using fabricated satellite images in an attempt to portray the resulting damage as having been minimal.

[51][52][53] Yahya Sarea threatened the United Arab Emirates which is part of the Saudi-led coalition, saying that they have a list of targets inside the UAE among them Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

He said if the UAE "wants peace to its buildings which are made of glass and can't handle an attack by the Yemeni drones then leave Yemen alone".

[70][71][72] On 23 September, while meeting at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a joint statement "It is clear to us that Iran bears responsibility for this attack.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has stated that "Yemeni people are exercising their legitimate right of defence... the attacks were a reciprocal response to aggression against Yemen for years.

[79] According to a confidential report by U.N. sanctions monitors seen by Reuters said that "despite their claims to the contrary, the Houthi forces did not launch the attacks on Abqaiq and Khurais on 14 September 2019.

[81] A CBS correspondent stated that the damage at the Abqaiq facilities reportedly was on the western-northwestern portions, which would have been difficult for the Houthis, located to the southwest, to have hit with drones.

Initially, spokespeople stated that the plants were expected to return to their nominal capacity by 16 September 2019, and would use reserve oil to make up for the shortfall.

[90] By Tuesday, 17 September, Saudi Arabian officials from the energy ministry stated that the repairs to the Abqaiq facility will be much faster than originally anticipated.

[1][99] The United States is a close ally of Saudi Arabia, while its relationship with Iran has been strained in 2019 as part of the overall Persian Gulf crisis.

[104] On 15 September 2019, Reuters reported on remarks by international organizations by stating "U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Saturday's attacks and called on all parties to exercise restraint and prevent any escalation.

"[106] Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, said in remarks quoted 16 September 2019 that while there is no "conclusive investigation", it is irresponsible to blame anyone for the attack, and added "we call on relevant parties avoid taking actions that bring about an escalation in regional tensions".

Also on 17 September 2019, White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said the Trump administration "can't say definitively" that Iran was behind the attack.

The UN Secretary General condemned the attacks on Saudi Arabia, claimed by the Houthis, and UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths said the attack "carries the risk of dragging Yemen into a regional conflagration" and that "there is 'no time to waste' in ending four years of fighting between Houthi rebels and the internationally-recognized Government, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, which has pushed the country to the brink of famine.

[112][113] NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg "strongly condemned" the attacks and said Iran was "supporting different terrorist groups and being responsible for destabilising the whole region.

"[114] In South Korea, the National Defence Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo denounced drone attacks on oil facilities as "a reckless act" that harms global security and stability.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to strengthen partnerships between the two countries to fight against the terrorist attacks.

[117] On 15 September 2019, the Cabinet of Kuwait said it was probing the sighting of a drone over its territory and coordinating with Saudi Arabia, and other countries, after the attacks.