Two people were killed and two others injured after debris from an intercepted drone fell near a processing facility at Saudi Arabia’s Shaybah oilfield, according to the kingdom’s Energy Ministry. The ministry identified the dead as a Filipino and a Nepali national.
The incident took place on Wednesday in the Eastern Province, near the United Arab Emirates border. Saudi authorities said air defences intercepted a drone that was attempting to target the facility. The ministry did not identify who launched it.
The Shaybah field is operated by state oil company Saudi Aramco and is a major oil and gas production site. Saudi officials said the incident did not disrupt operations at the facility.
The attack occurred amid a rise in reported drone and missile activity targeting Saudi infrastructure. The Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted several drones over the kingdom on the same day. The Houthi movement has claimed responsibility for some recent attacks on Saudi airports and energy sites, but Saudi authorities had not publicly attributed the Shaybah incident to a specific group. The circumstances underline the risk posed by debris even when air defences intercept an incoming drone.
