Saudi Arabia Says It Shot Down 28 Drones, Missile

(MENAFN) Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed 28 drones and a ballistic missile targeting its Eastern Region, the kingdom’s defense ministry announced Wednesday, marking one of the most significant aerial assaults on Saudi soil since the regional conflict erupted.

The Saudi Defense Ministry, in statements published on X in the early hours of Wednesday, said air defense systems successfully detected and neutralized all incoming threats before any reached their intended targets. No casualties or infrastructure damage were reported.

Authorities have not attributed responsibility for the attacks, and no group has claimed them.

The strikes arrive against a backdrop of rapidly escalating regional hostilities. Since the US and Israel launched an air campaign against Iran on February 28 — killing more than 1,340 people to date — Tehran has responded with rolling waves of drone and missile strikes across the region, targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf states where American military personnel are stationed.

The retaliatory campaign has already inflicted casualties, damaged critical infrastructure, rattled global energy markets, and disrupted international aviation. With Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region — home to the kingdom’s vast oil infrastructure — now squarely in the crosshairs, the strikes carry the potential to deepen an already severe global economic shock.

MENAFN25032026000045017169ID1110903700