Newsletters
Saudi Arabia said Thursday it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile targeting the Red Sea port city of Yanbu.
The Defense Ministry said in a statement that the missile was launched toward the city and was successfully neutralized by air defenses.
Earlier Thursday, the ministry said on X that it had intercepted a missile targeting the port.
In a separate incident, a drone crashed into the Saudi oil refinery Samref in Yanbu’s industrial zone after the missile interception, the ministry said, adding that a damage assessment was underway.
The Samref refinery is jointly owned by Saudi energy giant Aramco and the Mobil Yanbu Refining Company, a subsidiary of U.S. firm ExxonMobil.
The incident comes amid an escalating Middle East crisis triggered by joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, which Tehran says killed around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and senior security official Ali Larijani.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile attacks across the region and has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil transit route that normally carries about 20 million barrels of oil per day and roughly 20% of global liquefied natural gas trade.
The disruption has fueled volatility in global energy markets.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
