Complex sentence: The AWACS plane was still in the area and just after witnessing the attack, it radioed a nearby Saudi airbase to send aircraft for an interception but the ground controllers did not have the authority to order a sortie so the Iraqi jet escaped unharmed.
Split into simpler sentences: The AWACS plane was still in the area and just after witnessing the attack, they radioed a nearby Saudi airbase to send aircraft for an interception. The ground controllers did not have the authority to order a sortie so the Iraqi jet escaped unharmed.