- Unidentified drones were spotted over Fort McNair, a historic US Army post located on a peninsula in Southwest Washington, D.C., raising security concerns for US officials
- Amid aggression from the US and Israel, Iran escalated attacks on Gulf energy sites, impacting global fuel prices significantly
- US’ ally Saudi Arabia has already rerouted oil to bypass the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating regional tensions
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering international affairs.
Washington, USA – US officials detected unidentified drones above an army base in Washington where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth live.
The Washington Post disclosed this on Wednesday, March 18, citing three people briefed on the situation.
Source: Twitter
Drones spotted over US officials’ base
As reported on Thursday, March 19, by Reuters, the officials have not determined where the drones came from.
The drones over Fort McNair reportedly prompted officials to weigh relocating Rubio and Hegseth. However, the secretaries have not moved, the report added, citing a senior administration official.
Fort McNair, which houses the National Defense University and some of the Pentagon’s top officials, is located near Capitol Hill and the White House. However, unlike other bases in the region, it lacks the same safety buffer.
The newspaper said the US military was monitoring potential threats more closely because of the heightened alert level over the US-Israeli war against Iran.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell declined to comment on the drones, stating, “The department cannot comment on the secretary’s movements for security reasons, and reporting on such movements is grossly irresponsible.”
Iran strikes Gulf refineries in retaliation
In related news, Iran intensified its attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbours’ energy sites on Thursday, March 19, hitting a Saudi refinery on the Red Sea and setting Qatari liquefied natural gas facilities and two Kuwaiti oil refineries ablaze as it struck back following an Israeli attack on its main natural gas field, a major escalation in the Mideast war that has sent global fuel prices soaring.
Brent crude oil, the international standard, spiked to as high as $118 a barrel, up more than 60% since Israel and the United States started the war on February 28 with strikes on Iran.
A ship was set ablaze off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and another was damaged off Qatar, underscoring the ever-present danger also facing vessels due to Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil is transported.
Saudi Arabia had begun pumping large volumes of oil west to avoid the strait and ship it from the Red Sea, but the security of that route was called into question after Iran’s drone hit the country’s SAMREF refinery in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu.
Qatar, a key source of natural gas for world markets, said firefighters put out a blaze at a major LNG facility after it was hit by Iranian missiles. Production had already been halted there after earlier attacks, but it said the latest wave of missiles caused “sizable fires and extensive further damage.”
Photo credit: @Tradewith_kd, @nucleusprime
Source: Twitter
Damage to the facility could delay Qatar in getting its supplies to the market even after the Iran war ends.
A drone attack on Kuwait’s Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery sparked a fire but caused no injuries, the state-run KUNA news agency reported. The refinery is one of the biggest in the Middle East, with a petroleum production capacity of 730,000 barrels per day. Shortly after, a drone attack set ablaze the nearby Mina Abdullah refinery, officials said.
Authorities in Abu Dhabi said they were forced to shut down operations at its Habshan gas facility and Bab field, calling Iranian overnight attacks on the sites a “dangerous escalation.”
Read more on US/Israel vs Iran:
War: Pastor Parr speaks on Israel
Legit.ng earlier reported that popular YouTube Bible teacher, Pastor Allan Parr, claimed that the war in Israel is part of God’s end-time prophetic plan.
In a message published on his official YouTube channel, Pastor Parr outlined seven key points supporting his claim.
The Texas-based preacher emphasised God’s ultimate protection and restoration of Israel in the end times.
Source: Legit.ng
