Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said air defenses intercepted a drone attempting to target a facility at the Shaybah oil field on Wednesday, Oct. 21, and reported two deaths and two injuries after the incident.
Shaybah is in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. The ministry identified the people killed as Philippine and Nepalese nationals and those injured as Pakistani and Indian nationals. A contractor-owned vehicle caught fire beyond the site boundary after debris fell, according to the ministry. It also said operations at the field were unaffected.
Anadolu Agency described the wider context as intensifying hostilities between the Houthis and Saudi-led coalition forces, along with recent Houthi threats against Saudi energy infrastructure. Its report did not link the intercepted drone to those threats or identify who launched it. Anadolu said the ministry’s account appeared in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.
Earlier EconoTimes coverage of the U.S. order for non-emergency staff and families to leave Saudi Arabia also reported that the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh warned further Houthi attacks were possible.
