2026-03-02T12:23:59+00:00
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Shafaq News- Riyadh/ Muscat/ Manama
Saudi Arabia suspended operations at its
largest oil refinery on Monday after a drone strike, as escalating US–Israeli
military action against Iran and Tehran’s retaliation disrupted energy
infrastructure and shipping routes across the Middle East.
According to Reuters, state oil giant Saudi
Aramco halted output at its 550,000-barrels-per-day Ras Tanura refinery as a
precautionary measure. The facility is part of a major energy complex on the
Gulf coast that also serves as a critical crude export terminal for the
Kingdom.
The regional fallout has already extended
to Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, where companies including DNO, Gulf Keystone
Petroleum, Dana Gas and HKN Energy stopped production at several oil fields as
a safety measure.
Meanwhile, the UK Maritime Trade Operations
(UKMTO) center said a vessel in the Port of Bahrain was struck by two
unidentified projectiles, causing a fire that was later extinguished. The crew
evacuated safely, and authorities launched an investigation.
UKMTO ADVISORY 008-26 – ATTACKClick here to view the full Advisory⤵️https://t.co/4ZVPSMeHOS#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/KwsKNWPBY2
— UKMTO Operations Centre (@UK_MTO) March 2, 2026
Off the coast of Oman, the Omani Maritime
Security Centre noted that the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker MKD VYOM
was attacked by an unmanned boat 52 nautical miles off Muscat. One Indian crew
member was killed after a fire and explosion in the engine room. The remaining
21 crew members —16 Indians, four Bangladeshis and one Ukrainian— were
evacuated by the Panama-flagged vessel MV Sand.
استهداف ناقلة نفط شمال غرب ميناء السلطان قابوس وإخلاء طاقمها بعد اندلاع حريق. pic.twitter.com/SO6LlkFhV9
— مركز الأمن البحري| MARITIME SECURITY CENTRE (@OMAN_MSC) March 2, 2026
On the security front, Saudi Arabia’s
Ministry of Defense announced it intercepted and destroyed five drones near
Prince Sultan Air Base. In northern Israel, the Home Front Command reported
renewed air-raid sirens in the Haifa Bay, Galilee, northern Jordan Valley and
Tiberias areas. Israeli emergency services confirmed two people were wounded in
Beersheba by falling Iranian missile fragments.Medical
teams are also treating and evacuating 15 people with glass shrapnel injuries to
Soroka Hospital.
المتحدث الرسمي لوزارة الدفاع : اعتراض وتدمير 5 مسيّرات معادية بالقرب من قاعدة الأمير سلطان الجوية. pic.twitter.com/ki4YlSChb4
— وزارة الدفاع (@modgovksa) March 2, 2026
Update: Following the missile fire toward the State of IsraelAt a scene in southern Israel, MDA teams are treating and evacuating 15 patients with glass shrapnel wounds to Soroka Hospital. Among them: a 35 year old male in moderate condition and 14 others in mild condition.
— Magen David Adom (@Mdais) March 2, 2026
The US military, separately, confirmed that
an earlier F-15 fighter jet crash near the Kuwaiti border resulted from what it
called friendly fire. “During active combat—that included attacks from Iranian
aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones — the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were
mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses,” US Central Command reported.
The developments came on the third day of
the US–Israeli military operation against Iran, which killed Iran’s Supreme
Leader Ali Khamenei. The deadliest reported incident occurred in Minab,
southeastern Iran, where a strike on a girls’ elementary school killed at least
148 people and injured 95. Tehran responded with missile and drone strikes on
Israel and US military bases in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
