Two people were killed in a drone attack targeting Saudi Arabia's Shaybah oilfield on Wednesday, despite the interception of the incoming aircraft by Saudi air defenses, the Saudi Press Agency reported, citing an Energy Ministry official.
The drone was attempting to strike a facility at the oilfield in the kingdom's Eastern Province when it was intercepted, according to the official. Despite the fatalities, operations at the field were not affected.
An oil facility burns in Saudi Arabia, archive
(Photo: AFP)
The report did not provide details about the identities of those killed or the circumstances of their deaths. It also did not identify those responsible for launching the drone.
Shaybah, operated by Saudi Aramco, is one of the kingdom's major oil-producing facilities, located deep in the Empty Quarter desert near the border with the United Arab Emirates. The remote field has a production capacity of approximately 1 million barrels per day, making it an important component of Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure.
The facility has been targeted before. In August 2019, a drone attack claimed by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels caused a fire at Shaybah's natural gas liquids processing facility. Saudi Aramco reported no casualties at the time.
Wednesday's deadly incident comes amid a sharp escalation in Houthi missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia, including strikes targeting airports, military installations and energy facilities.
On Monday, the Houthis claimed to have carried out attacks against several Saudi targets, including the Shaybah oilfield, an Aramco facility in Yanbu and airports in Riyadh and Abha. Reuters reported at the time that Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the claims and that it could not independently verify them. It was not immediately clear whether the earlier claim was connected to Wednesday's incident.
Saudi Arabia has faced repeated attacks on its main international airport in Riyadh, which resumed limited domestic flights on Wednesday after being shut down earlier this month. International services remain severely disrupted, with several major airlines suspending flights.
The worsening security situation has also prompted additional international military support for Saudi Arabia. Britain announced Tuesday that Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets would be deployed on defensive missions to help protect Saudi cities and critical infrastructure against Houthi missiles and drones.
US prepares Gulf embassy departures amid escalation
In a separate development Wednesday, the U.S. State Department was preparing to order some diplomatic personnel and family members to leave American embassies across the Gulf region, three U.S. officials told Reuters.
Two of the officials said the preparations were prompted by concerns about a possible resumption of hostilities, particularly involving Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis.
The planned measure, known as an "ordered departure," would require designated personnel and eligible family members to leave their diplomatic posts as a security precaution. Reuters did not specify which embassies would be affected or when the order might be issued.
The preparations followed coordinated security warnings issued by U.S. diplomatic missions across the Middle East earlier this week. The alerts cautioned American citizens that fighting involving the Houthis could spread rapidly beyond areas already affected by the conflict.
The State Department has warned of a growing threat to Americans throughout the region as the Houthis continue targeting Saudi infrastructure. Washington has provided Saudi Arabia with intelligence and other military assistance but has so far avoided direct intervention against the Yemeni group in the latest fighting.
The two deaths at Shaybah underscore the continuing danger to Saudi energy facilities, even as the kingdom reports successful interceptions and maintains that oil production has not been disrupted.