Riyadh, 21 October. Three people were killed in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province on Wednesday: two after air defences intercepted a drone heading for a Saudi Aramco facility at the Shaybah oil field, and one in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, where eight people were injured.
According to the Energy Ministry, as cited by the Saudi Press Agency, the drone tried to strike one of the field's facilities; debris from the interception set fire to a contractor's vehicle outside the perimeter. Citizens of the Philippines and Nepal were killed, and citizens of Pakistan and India were injured. The incident did not affect the field's operations, the ministry said.
The attack on the airport was reported by Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation. The injured were taken to hospital immediately, their conditions ranging from minor to severe; the damage is still being assessed. The authority did not say what exactly was used to attack the airport.
Saudi authorities did not say who launched the drone. Anadolu writes that the Shaybah incident took place amid escalating hostilities between Yemen's Houthis and Saudi Arabia. On the same day the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed five drones launched towards the kingdom, including over the Eastern Province. Yemen's government forces claimed 835 strikes on Houthi positions in 24 hours, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egypt's military support for Saudi Arabia was limited to defending its territory and borders and that Egyptian forces would not strike Yemen.
What it means: Attacks on Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, home to Saudi Aramco's oil fields, have caused casualties: three people were killed and ten injured, including at Dammam airport. Production at Shaybah was not affected, according to the Energy Ministry.
Who benefits: The kingdom's authorities have not said who is behind the attacks, and the sources do not name anyone who benefits. The strikes affect first of all foreign workers at oil facilities and airport passengers.
Background: Drones have been launched at Saudi Arabia for some days: the day before, the coalition intercepted drones over the Riyadh area, and on the morning of 21 October it reported five more brought down.
List of sources used: Anadolu
Artificial intelligence was used in preparing this material.
