Saudi air defenses deter drone attacks on Aramco s Shayba field, missile threat on air base

Saudi Arabia's air defenses successfully thwarted a recent series of airstrikes aimed at Aramco's Shaybah field, according to the Ministry of Defense. On Saturday morning, Major General Turki Al-Maliki, the ministry's spokesman, shared on X that they intercepted and destroyed 16 drones that targeted the Shaybah field in four separate waves, all within the Empty Quarter. Additionally, Al-Maliki reported the interception and destruction of a ballistic missile and a cruise missile that were aimed at Prince Sultan Air Base in Al-Kharj. Another drone was shot down to the east of Riyadh city, as noted in a tweet from the spokesman. This missile threat marks the third attempted attack in three days on Al-Kharj, which is a key industrial area located about 80 kilometers southeast of Riyadh. The assault on the Shaybah field was the first since February 28, when Israel and the United States carried out a large air campaign against Iran, leading to a series of retaliatory strikes by Tehran on different Gulf targets, including oil refineries and industrial sites. Shaybah is situated deep in the Rub’ al-Khali, or Empty Quarter, and is one of Saudi Arabia’s crucial “super-giant” oil fields. Besides its vast oil supplies, the field plays a key role in the Kingdom's gas strategy, as it houses a high-tech recovery plant that provides important natural gas liquids (NGLs) to the petrochemical industry. The recent air attacks are part of a significant increase in aerial assaults across the Gulf. In the past 24 hours, the UAE has intercepted over 125 drones and six ballistic missiles. Just yesterday, Saudi air defenses managed to shoot down five missiles targeting Prince Sultan Air Base, along with four drones in eastern Riyadh, and one drone each in the Eastern Province and Al-Kharj.