The State Department Is Now Warning Of Impending Drone Attacks And How To Survive Them

By Tyler Rogoway and Joseph Trevithick

Updated Nov 27, 2020 6:15 PM EST

Today the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh issued an alert that seemed ripped right from a dystopian action movie. A tweet from @TravelGov, an official U.S. State Department account that highlights travel and other alerts from diplomatic missions around the world, read “#SaudiArabia: The Embassy is tracking reports of possible missiles or drones that may be headed toward Riyadh today, October 28. Stay alert. If you hear a loud explosion or if sirens are activated, immediately seek cover.”

#SaudiArabia : The Embassy is tracking reports of possible missiles or drones that may be headed toward Riyadh today, October 28. Stay alert. If you hear a loud explosion or if sirens are activated, immediately seek cover. https://t.co/RlAoK12oku pic.twitter.com/fQF4RF2mOT — Travel – State Dept (@TravelGov) October 28, 2020

#SaudiArabia : The Embassy is tracking reports of possible missiles or drones that may be headed toward Riyadh today, October 28. Stay alert. If you hear a loud explosion or if sirens are activated, immediately seek cover. https://t.co/RlAoK12oku pic.twitter.com/fQF4RF2mOT

While the possible threat, which was never specifically described, has now reportedly passed , the idea that the U.S. government is putting out alerts for impending drone attacks is certainly a dark sign of the times we are entering into, ones in which warfare will be dominated by so-called “ suicide drones ,” also known as loitering munitions , and lower-end cruise missiles . While this has become all too apparent in recent conflicts abroad , the idea that it is a serious threat in the Capital of a major allied city, one with some of the most modern air defense weaponry in the world, points to how hard it is to defend against these types of attacks, which can come from third-party actors , as well as enemy states.

The full announcement from the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia was even more jarring, as it offered steps to take if you are caught in a drone or missile attack. It reads:

Location : Riyadh Event : The Embassy is no longer tracking reports of missiles or drones headed toward Riyadh. However, the Embassy advises American citizens to continue to exercise increased caution in Saudi Arabia due to terrorism and the threat of missile and drone attacks on civilian targets. Read our full advisory here https://sa.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/security-and-travel-information/ . Reminder of Actions to Take During Missile/Drone Events: If you hear a loud explosion or if sirens are activated, immediately seek cover. If in a home or a building, go to the lowest level of the structure with the fewest exterior walls, windows, and openings; close any doors and sit near an interior wall, away from any windows or openings. If you are outdoors, immediately seek cover in a hardened structure; if that is not possible, lie down and cover your head with your hands. Be aware that even if the incoming missile or drone is intercepted, falling debris represents a significant risk. After the attack, stay away from any debris, and monitor major news outlets for official guidance. For Assistance Contact: U.S. Embassy Riyadh

Event : The Embassy is no longer tracking reports of missiles or drones headed toward Riyadh. However, the Embassy advises American citizens to continue to exercise increased caution in Saudi Arabia due to terrorism and the threat of missile and drone attacks on civilian targets. Read our full advisory here https://sa.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/security-and-travel-information/ .

Reminder of Actions to Take During Missile/Drone Events:

If you hear a loud explosion or if sirens are activated, immediately seek cover.

If in a home or a building, go to the lowest level of the structure with the fewest exterior walls, windows, and openings; close any doors and sit near an interior wall, away from any windows or openings.

If you are outdoors, immediately seek cover in a hardened structure; if that is not possible, lie down and cover your head with your hands.

Be aware that even if the incoming missile or drone is intercepted, falling debris represents a significant risk.

After the attack, stay away from any debris, and monitor major news outlets for official guidance.

For Assistance Contact:

The embassy in Riyadh has offered similar instructions on multiple occasions in the past few years in the wake of drone and missile strikes that Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen have carried out on targets in Saudi Arabia. However, this appears to be the first time an alert was issued ahead of a potential attack.

Regardless, while this notice definitely has a Cold War ‘ duck and cover ‘ vibe to it, the reality is the threat from these relatively rudimentary systems has literally and figuratively exploded , just as The War Zone

has warned of for years , and no Capital or population center is safe from them at this time.

As to what the particular threat was in this case and where the reports about this impending attack came from, it’s unclear. Earlier today, the Houthis claimed to have struck Abha International Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia, which they have successfully targeted in the past. However, Saudi authorities said that they intercepted a number of incoming Houthi drones before they could reach their targets. Houthi drone attacks into southern areas of Saudi Arabia, as well as Saudi efforts to intercept them, have become a regular occurrence in recent years.

The Houthis have launched drones and missiles at targets deeper inside Saudi Arabia in the past, as well, including firing ballistic missiles at Riyadh in 2018. At least one of those incoming weapons was struck by a Patriot surface-to-air missile.

In addition, in September 2019, significant parts of Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure came under an unprecedented attack from drones and cruise missiles. The Houthis claimed responsibility for these strikes, but U.S. officials subsequently asserted that Iran had carried them out. Whatever the case, the incident led to the deployment of U.S. and other foreign forces to Saudi Arabia, as well as the Persian Gulf , to bolster that country’s own air and missile defenses. The Saudi Arabian military is also in the process of a massive expansion of its capabilities in this regard, including starting the process of acquiring a very large number of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) ballistic missile defense systems from the United States.

Whatever the possible drone or missile threat was that prompted the State Department alert, the dangers that even lower-end weapons of these types pose are very real now and will only become more so in the future. In turn, warnings of potential incoming attacks, from the U.S. government and others, which just a very short while ago were something that would have been relegated to movies or television, will be increasingly the norm.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

Comments couldn’t be loaded. Please refresh the page.

作者：泰勒·罗戈韦和约瑟夫·特雷维西克

更新于美国东部时间2020年11月27日下午6:15。

今天，美国驻沙特阿拉伯首都利雅得大使馆发布了一则警报，其内容仿佛直接取自一部反乌托邦动作电影。美国国务院官方推特账号@TravelGov（该账号负责发布来自世界各地外交使团的旅行及其他警报）发布推文称：“#沙特阿拉伯：大使馆正在追踪有关导弹或无人机可能于今日（10月28日）飞​​向利雅得的报告。请保持警惕。如果您听到巨响或警报响起，请立即寻找掩护。”

#沙特阿拉伯：美国大使馆正在密切关注有关导弹或无人机可能于今日（10月28日）飞​​向利雅得的报告。请保持警惕。如果您听到巨响或警报响起，请立即寻找掩护。https://t.co/RlAoK12oku pic.twitter.com/fQF4RF2mOT — 美国国务院旅行办公室 (@TravelGov) 2020年10月28日

#沙特阿拉伯：大使馆正在密切关注有关可能于今日（10月28日）飞​​向利雅得的导弹或无人机的报告。请保持警惕。如果您听到巨响或警报响起，请立即寻找掩护。https://t.co/RlAoK12oku pic.twitter.com/fQF4RF2mOT

虽然据报道，从未具体描述的所谓威胁已经解除，但美国政府发布无人机袭击预警的做法，无疑是我们即将步入的一个不祥之兆——在这个时代，战争将主要由所谓的“自杀式无人机”（也称巡飞弹）和低端巡航导弹主导。尽管这种情况在近期的海外冲突中已显而易见，但在一个拥有世界上最先进防空武器的盟国首都，这种威胁依然存在，这表明防御此类袭击有多么困难，而这些袭击可能来自第三方，也可能来自敌对国家。

美国驻沙特阿拉伯大使馆发布的完整声明更加令人震惊，因为它提供了在遭遇无人机或导弹袭击时应采取的措施。声明内容如下：

地点：利雅得 事件：美国大使馆目前已不再追踪有关导弹或无人机飞向利雅得的报告。然而，鉴于恐怖主义活动以及导弹和无人机袭击平民目标的威胁，大使馆建议美国公民在沙特阿拉伯境内继续保持高度警惕。请点击此处阅读完整公告：https://sa.usembassy.gov/us-citizen-services/security-and-travel-information/ 。导弹/无人机事件应对措施提醒：如果您听到巨响或警报响起，请立即寻找掩体。如果您在房屋或建筑物内，请前往建筑物最低层，选择外墙、窗户和开口最少的位置；关闭所有门窗，并坐在靠近内墙的地方，远离任何窗户或开口。如果您在户外，请立即寻找坚固的掩体；如果无法找到掩体，请躺下并用双手抱头。请注意，即使来袭的导弹或无人机被拦截，坠落的碎片仍然构成重大风险。袭击发生后，请远离任何废墟，并密切关注各大新闻媒体发布的官方指导。如需帮助，请联系：美国驻利雅得大使馆

事件：美国大使馆目前已不再追踪有关导弹或无人机飞向利雅得的报告。然而，鉴于恐怖主义活动以及导弹和无人机袭击平民目标的威胁，大使馆建议美国公民在沙特阿拉伯境内继续保持高度警惕。请点击此处阅读完整公告：https://sa.usembassy.gov/us-citizen-services/security-and-travel-information/ 。

导弹/无人机事件期间应采取的行动提醒：

如果听到巨响或警报响起，请立即寻找掩体。

如果在房屋或建筑物内，请前往建筑物的最低层，那里的外墙、窗户和开口最少；关上所有门，坐在内墙附近，远离任何窗户或开口。

如果你在户外，立即寻找坚固的建筑物躲避；如果找不到，就躺下并用双手抱头。

请注意，即使来袭导弹或无人机被拦截，坠落的碎片也会带来重大风险。

袭击发生后，远离所有碎片，并关注各大新闻媒体发布的官方指导。

如需帮助，请联系：

过去几年，在邻国也门胡塞武装（伊朗支持）对沙特阿拉伯境内目标发动无人机和导弹袭击后，伊朗驻利雅得大使馆曾多次发布类似指示。然而，这似乎是首次在潜在袭击发生前发出警报。

无论如何，虽然这份通知确实带有冷战时期“卧倒掩护”的意味，但现实是，这些相对简陋的系统所带来的威胁已经像《战区》里描述的那样，在字面意义和象征意义上都呈爆炸式增长。

多年来一直有人发出警告，目前没有任何首都或人口中心能够幸免于难。

至于此次事件的具体威胁是什么，以及有关即将发动袭击的报道来自何处，目前尚不清楚。今天早些时候，胡塞武装声称袭击了沙特阿拉伯西南部的艾卜哈国际机场，该机场此前曾多次遭到胡塞武装的袭击。然而，沙特当局表示，他们在胡塞武装的无人机抵达目标之前就将其拦截。近年来，胡塞武装的无人机袭击沙特阿拉伯南部地区以及沙特当局的拦截行动已成为常态。

胡塞武装过去也曾向沙特阿拉伯境内更深处的目标发射无人机和导弹，包括在 2018 年向利雅得发射弹道导弹。至少有一枚来袭导弹被爱国者地对空导弹击中。

此外，2019年9月，沙特阿拉伯重要的石油基础设施遭到前所未有的无人机和巡航导弹袭击。胡塞武装声称对此次袭击负责，但美国官员随后断言是伊朗所为。无论真相如何，此次事件导致美国和其他外国军队向沙特阿拉伯以及波斯湾地区部署兵力，以加强该国的防空和导弹防御能力。沙特阿拉伯军方也正在大规模扩充这方面的能力，包括启动从美国采购大量末段高空区域防御系统（THAAD）弹道导弹防御系统的程序。

无论促使美国国务院发出警报的无人机或导弹威胁究竟是什么，这类武器即便是低端武器，其构成的危险如今也已是实实在在，而且未来只会愈演愈烈。反过来，美国政府和其他方面对潜在袭击的预警——这种预警在不久前还只存在于电影或电视节目中——将日益成为常态。

联系作者：Tyler@thedrive.com

评论加载失败，请刷新页面。