Saudi Arabia reports drone attack on Ras Tanura refinery

• ‘No damage recorded’ authorities said
• Facility damaged by earlier attack
• Missiles intercepted south of Riyadh

Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura oil refinery was targeted in a drone attack by Iran on Wednesday, the defence ministry has confirmed.

“The refinery was targeted in an attempted drone attack, with no damage recorded and no disruption to supplies,” the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported, quoting spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Maliki.

The refinery in Saudi Arabia’s eastern province was damaged by debris from two intercepted drones that landed on the facility on Monday.

Ras Tanura, one of nine refineries in the kingdom, is part of an energy complex owned by Saudi Aramco. The refinery has a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day.

In a separate statement, Al-Maliki said that two cruise missiles were intercepted and destroyed in Al-Kharj governorate, located 80km southeast of Riyadh.

On Monday, Abu Dhabi authorities contained a fire resulting from a drone attack at the Mussafah fuel tank terminal, the UAE’s state news agency Wam reported.

On Tuesday, the UAE Ministry of Defence said it had intercepted 172 ballistic missiles, eight cruise missiles and 755 drones so far, reporting limited major damage. 

However, debris has caused significant disruption around important sites, including airports and ports.

The UAE spent an estimated $1 billion a day shooting down drones and missiles in the first 48 hours of the conflict, according to analysts.

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