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Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed three more drones overnight, including one over the oil-rich Eastern Region and another over the Riyadh Region, where authorities said debris fell with no reported injuries, bringing to eight the number of missiles and drones downed since early Friday.
The interception over the Eastern Region, home to most of the kingdom’s oil production, was announced at 2:30 a.m. local time; the coalition’s statement did not say who launched the drone (statement). A drone launched by the Houthi militia was destroyed over the Southern Region at 4:14 a.m. (statement), and air defenses destroyed a hostile drone over the Riyadh Region shortly after 9 a.m., with debris from the interception falling in the area and no injuries reported (statement), the coalition spokesman, Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Malki, said.
The overnight interceptions followed five on Friday – a ballistic missile toward the south, drones in the Riyadh, Madinah and Makkah regions, and a cruise missile toward the Western Region – already the heaviest single day since the wave of attacks began a week ago (Friday statements). The announcements have now come on eight consecutive days.
The escalation reaches directly into oil country: the Houthi-run Saba news agency claimed Thursday that the group had targeted the Ras Tanura refinery and an Aramco facility in Abqaiq, both in the Eastern Region. Saudi authorities have confirmed no damage to any oil facility.
U.S. crude futures faded late Friday to close the week at $102.95 a barrel, up 0.9%, after trading as high as $104.99 earlier in the day, according to CME Group data. Futures are closed for the weekend and reopen Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern.
JBizNews Desk | New York
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