RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s air defenses intercepted and destroyed more than 40 drones on Friday, the country’s defense ministry said, as Iran continued its aerial attacks on Gulf nations.
Authorities in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates also said earlier they were also contending with missile fire and drone threats.
Almost all of the drones shot down in Saudi Arabia were intercepted over the Eastern Region, with one destroyed over Al-Jouf
The UAE defense ministry said air defenses shot down four ballistic missiles and 26 drones coming from Iran on Friday. Since the start of the Iranian attacks, the UAE has dealt with 338 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,740 drones.
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation’s Mina Al-Ahmadi Port Refinery again came under Iranian drone attacks, with caused a fire in several of its units. No injuries have been reported.
Firefighters were trying to control the fire in the facility, and some units were shut down as a precaution, state news agency UNA reported.
Bahrain’s interior ministry said shrapnel from what it described as “Iranian aggression” sparked a fire at a warehouse, which was brought under control with no reported injuries.
According to the Saudi defense ministry, the majority of the drones were shot down over the Eastern Province, home to the kingdom’s major oil refineries, while one was intercepted over the northern province of Al Jouf.
The fresh wave of attacks comes a day after a drone struck a Saudi oil refinery on the Red Sea, and causing fires at two additional facilities in Kuwait, as Iran escalated its campaign against Gulf energy infrastructure.
These strikes follow significant damage sustained Wednesday at Ras Laffan — Qatar’s vast natural gas hub and the world’s largest — after Iran retaliated for Israeli airstrikes on its South Pars gas field.
The latest figures bring the total number of drone strikes targeting Saudi Arabia to at least 509 since February 28, according to a tally based on defense ministry reports.
In addition to the drones, Saudi air defenses have intercepted 42 ballistic missiles and seven cruise missiles over the same period, underscoring the sustained and varied nature of the aerial campaign against the kingdom.
