RIYADH: Saudi Arabia said on Friday that its air defences intercepted and destroyed several drones that entered the kingdom’s airspace, as regional tensions continue to rise following strikes involving Iran, the United States, and Israel.
A spokesperson for the Saudi defence ministry said twelve drones were intercepted and destroyed after crossing into Saudi airspace. The announcement was made in a post shared on X.
In separate statements, the ministry added that two additional waves of drones — one consisting of nine and another of seven — were also shot down by Saudi air defence systems.
المتحدث الرسمي لـ #وزارة_الدفاع: اعتراض وتدمير 12 مسيّرة بعد دخولها للمجال الجوي. pic.twitter.com/sH2fLhIWWE
— وزارة الدفاع (@modgovksa) March 12, 2026
Saudi authorities have reported several drone incidents in recent days. Officials earlier confirmed that drones heading toward the strategically important Shaybah oil field were intercepted and destroyed this week.
The developments come as Iran has warned that it could target energy infrastructure across the region following strikes carried out by the United States and Israel at the end of last month. Those strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader and significantly escalated tensions across the Middle East.
Since then, retaliatory missile and drone attacks have intensified, creating concerns about the security of maritime trade routes and energy supplies.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil transit routes through which about a fifth of global crude supply passes, has slowed dramatically amid the escalating conflict.
