19 March,2026 06:51 PM IST | Riyadh | mid-day online correspondent
A satellite image shows oil infrastructure at Saudi Arabia’s western Red Sea port of Yanbu. (Pic/AFP)
Amid the escalating West Asia crisis, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defence on Thursday said that a drone crashed into an oil refinery and that damage assessment is underway, news agency ANI reported. According to Al Jazeera, the drone crashed at the Samref refinery.
A day earlier, explosions were heard near a Saudi Aramco oil facility in Riyadh.
Sharing details of the drone strike, the Saudi Defence Ministry in a post on X said, "The official spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence: A drone has fallen in the Samarra refinery, and damage assessment is underway."
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defence also mentioned that a ballistic missile launched towards the port of Yanbu was intercepted and destroyed.
A UAE-based media house also reported that explosions were seen near a Saudi Aramco oil facility in Riyadh on Wednesday. The explosion took place after Iran launched ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia. Citing authorities, it said that four missiles were intercepted.
The media house also reported a fire after a drone hit a second Kuwaiti oil refinery unit. A "limited fire" broke out at the Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery in Kuwait after a drone attack, reported Al Jazeera, citing the Kuwait News Agency. According to the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, there are no reports of any casualties, and the fire has been dealt with "according to the highest safety standards."
Earlier, there were reports of a fire at Qatar's Ras Laffan industrial city. No casualties were reported in the incident.
Qatar's Ministry of Interior (MOI) stated that the massive fire that broke out at the Ras Laffan industrial area after a strike has been contained with no casualties being reported.
According to Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry, foreign ministers of key Arab and Islamic countries held a consultative meeting in Riyadh on the Iranian attacks amid escalating tensions in West Asia and the Gulf, ANI reported.
The statement further reads, "The ministers stressed the need for Iran to abide by implementing the Security Council Resolution 2817 (2026), which called for an immediate halt to all attacks and unconditional cessation of any provocative acts or threats against neighbouring states and the cessation of support, financing and arming its affiliated militias in Arab countries, which Iran is doing to serve its goals and against the interests of these countries."
They also urged restraint and called for refraining from any measures or threats aimed at disrupting international navigation in the Strait of Hormuz or maritime security in the Bab al-Mandab.
(With inputs from ANI)
