Russian reconnaissance satellites may have provided Iran with information that helped it plan strikes on US military facilities more accurately. Two days before the attack on the US Prince Sultan base in Saudi Arabia, 14 Russian satellites flew over it.
CNN reported this.
CNN conducted an investigation into how Iran improved its targeting of US military facilities and what role Russian satellite intelligence may have played.
According to the journalists, 14 Russian reconnaissance satellites flew over the Prince Sultan base two days before Iran’s strike. Their flyovers took place in a certain sequence and at the right time, which may have made it possible to obtain a wide range of intelligence on US positions.
US officials and international intelligence sources told CNN that such information may have helped Tehran when planning the attack. In particular, it could have made it possible to pinpoint more precisely the location of military equipment and other important facilities on the base.
At the same time, CNN does not claim that Russia directly passed intelligence to Iran specifically for this attack. The journalists speak only of the likely role of Russian satellite intelligence, citing US officials and international intelligence sources.