Saudi Arabia intercepts five drones near Prince Sultan Air Base amid rising regional tensions
Prince Sultan Air Base is located southeast of the capital, Riyadh
Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence said on Monday that five hostile drones had been intercepted and destroyed near Prince Sultan Air Base, with no casualties reported.
In a statement, Major General Turki Al Malki, the official spokesperson for the ministry, said the drones were detected and neutralised before reaching their intended targets.
Prince Sultan Air Base is located southeast of the capital, Riyadh, and serves as a key military facility.
Stay updated: Get the latest faster by downloading the Gulf News app - it's completely free. Click here for Apple or here for Android. You can also find it us on the Huawei AppGallery.
The incident came hours after Saudi Arabia’s state oil company Aramco shut down its Ras Tanura refinery as a precautionary measure following a separate drone strike earlier in the day.
An industry source said the complex, one of the Middle East’s largest refineries with a capacity of about 550,000 barrels per day, was hit by a drone, prompting emergency procedures while the situation remained under control.
Saudi officials said two drones had been intercepted at the facility, with debris causing a limited fire but no injuries.
The shutdown added to concerns over global energy supplies, as tensions across the region intensified and attacks were reported near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for around a fifth of global oil consumption.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions across the Middle East following a series of military confrontations between Iran, the United States and Israel, which have triggered retaliatory strikes and security alerts across Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.
