Saudi drone attacks killed three people in the kingdom’s Eastern Province on Wednesday, Saudi authorities said. One struck King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. Another targeted a processing facility at Saudi Aramco’s Shaybah oilfield.
What the Saudi drone attacks hit
At Shaybah, debris from an intercepted drone killed two contractors, a Filipino and a Nepali, the energy ministry said. The debris also hurt two others, including an Indian resident. The debris set fire to a contractor’s vehicle outside the perimeter. Crucially, the ministry said operations carried on as normal.
In Dammam, an attack on the airport killed one resident and injured eight, the civil aviation authority said. In addition, it is still assessing the damage. Arab News later put the toll from both attacks at three.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it shot down seven drones on Wednesday, including over the Madinah region. Then it downed four more over the Eastern Province early on Thursday.
Why it matters for oil
The attacks follow Houthi claims against Aramco sites at Yanbu and Shaybah this week. So far, oil has shrugged them off. Brent settled up just 3 cents at $108.82 on Wednesday. Still, Kpler counts at least 18 attacks on ships in two weeks. As a result, risk stays high for Gulf supply to India.
For the earlier price spike, see our report on Brent’s five-month high.
