Drone strikes hit key oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on Thursday, as Iran intensified attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure amid the ongoing regional conflict.
Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry confirmed that a drone struck the Samref refinery in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu, with authorities assessing the extent of the damage. Yanbu serves as the endpoint of the Petroline pipeline, a strategic route that allows Saudi oil exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.
The attacks came a day after significant damage was reported at Qatar’s Ras Laffan gas hub, the world’s largest, in what was described as part of Iran’s retaliation for Israeli strikes on its South Pars gas field.
In Kuwait, separate drone strikes triggered fires at the Mina Abdullah and Mina Al-Ahmadi refineries, which together have a production capacity of about 800,000 barrels per day. The Kuwait National Petroleum Company later confirmed that the fires had been brought under control.
Saudi Arabia’s Samref refinery has a processing capacity of approximately 400,000 barrels per day.
The escalation has contributed to rising global oil prices, with Brent crude surpassing $115 per barrel on Thursday amid concerns over supply disruptions.
