Indian injured, two killed after drone interception at Saudi Arabia’s Shaybah oilfield

An Indian national was injured in a drone attack at Shaybah oilfield in Saudi Arabia officials said amid an escalation in strikes by Yemens Iranbacked Houthi rebels on key infrastructure in the kingdomThe Indian Embassy in Riyadh said it is in touch with Saudi authorities and awaiting further details about the incident which took place on WednesdayThe Embassy has learnt that one Indian national was injured in an attack at Shaybah oilfield today it said in a social media postThe mission said it would provide all necessary assistance to the injured Indian nationalAccording to the Saudi Ministry of Energy air defences intercepted a drone as it attempted to target one of the facilities at Saudi Aramcos Shaybah field on Wednesday morningAir defences thwarted an attempt to target the Shaybah field with two deaths and two injuries among residents resulting from shrapnel falling after the interception it said in a statementThe interception resulted in a fire in a vehicle belonging to a contractor working at the oilfield outside the facilitys perimeter the staterun Saudi Press Agency SPA reported quoting an official source at the Ministry of EnergyThere was no impact on operations it saidThe incident resulted in the death of two residents a Filipino and a Nepali national while two others a Pakistani and an Indian were injured it saidThe competent authorities responded to the incident and took the necessary measures it saidShaybah is a major oilfield operated by stateowned Saudi Aramco in the Rub alKhali desert in southeastern Saudi Arabia near the border with the United Arab Emirates The field is a significant part of the kingdoms oil production infrastructureSaudi authorities have not publicly identified the party responsible for the attempted attackHowever the incident comes amid a renewed campaign of drone and missile attacks by Houthi rebels who have intensified their hostilities against Saudi Arabia targeting airports energy facilities and other critical infrastructureThe Houthis who control large parts of northern Yemen have been engaged in a longrunning conflict with Yemens internationally recognised government which is backed by a Saudiled coalitionThe Shaybah incident follows a deadly attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh earlier this month in which one Indian national was killed and several others were injuredIndia has strongly condemned the attacks on Saudi Arabia particularly those targeting civilian facilities and infrastructure and called for an immediate end to the hostilitiesThe Indian Embassy has issued advisories urging Indian nationals in Saudi Arabia to remain alert follow instructions from local authorities and take shelter indoors during aerial attacksIt has also cautioned them against filming or sharing images and videos of drone or missile interceptions and their impact sites warning that doing so could attract legal consequences under Saudi lawSaudi Arabia hosts a large Indian community with millions of Indian nationals employed across various sectorsAccording to the Indian mission the Indian community in Saudi Arabia numbers at approximately 274 million and is a living bridge between the two countriesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever