PERSIAN GULF WAR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01070R000201230003-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 21, 2008
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: June 5, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2008/08/21: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000201230003-9
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
5 June 19811
PERSIAN GULF
WAR
JENNINGS: There was a significant escalation in the
Persian Gulf war today. Saudi Arabian jets guided by and
refueled by U.S. Air Force planes shot down two jets
approaching the Saudi coast. As our Pentagon
correspondent John McWethy reports, American officials
believe the two that were shot down were from Iran.
MCWETHY: An American AWACS early warning planes monitored
several F-4 fighters taking off from Iran's Bushehr air
base earlier today. The Iranian F-4s then headed across
the Persian Gulf. Americans aboard the AWACS plane told
the Saudi Air Force that Iran's fighters were coming and
provided location, heading and airspeed. The Saudis did
the rest, including making a firm decision to attack.
U.S. officials claim that Saudi F-15s tracked the Iranian
planes and shot down two of them near an island claimed by
the Saudis in the middle of the gulf. American sources
say Saudi pilots never actually saw what they were
shooting at, but fired their Sidewinder missiles from
beyond visual range. After the two Iranian planes were
shot down, Iran scrambled nearly a dozen other combat
aircraft. Saudi Arabia then did the same. According to
an Arab diplomatic source, before opposing aircraft got
within range Iran ordered its planes home. U.S.
intelligence sources are not sure if the Iranian F-4s were
trying to_attack a tanker, a land target or were simply
probing Saudi air defenses. In Washington, Saudi
ambassador Prince Bandar. BANDAR\BIN\SULTAN : Saudi
Arabia does not wish to be dragged into the war in the
gulf. However, we will continue to defend our territorial
integrity.
MCWETHY: Today's incident in the gulf comes just as the
U.S. are putting new AWACS early warning planes into Saudi
Arabia. The four there now are being replaced with planes
that can not only monitor aircraft, but also, for the
first time, ships at sea. This will give the U.S. and the
Saudis a complete picture of everything moving, above the
gulf and on its surface, thus providing an even closer
scrutiny of the widening war. John McWethy, ABC News, the
Pentagon.
Approved For Release 2008/08/21: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000201230003-9