Saudi Arabia suspended operations at its Ras Tanura refinery, the kingdom’s largest domestic oil refinery, on Monday after a drone strike, according to a source familiar with the situation. The precautionary closure is part of a wider disruption across the Middle East caused by U.S. and Israeli strikes, along with Iranian retaliation, which has also affected oil and gas fields in Iraqi Kurdistan and offshore Israel.
The Ras Tanura complex, capable of processing 550,000 barrels per day and serving as a critical crude export terminal, experienced limited fire damage from drone debris. Saudi defense officials confirmed that the situation is under control and no injuries were reported. Some refinery units were shut as a precaution, though domestic petroleum and derivative supply has not been affected, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
In Iraqi Kurdistan, operators including DNO, Gulf Keystone Petroleum, Dana Gas, and HKN Energy halted output at several fields as a preventive measure. The region exports approximately 200,000 barrels per day to Turkey’s Ceyhan port, and no physical damage was reported.
Offshore Israel, the Chevron-operated Leviathan gas field and smaller facilities managed by Energean were also temporarily shut down amid the ongoing regional attacks, which have throttled exports to Egypt.
The closures come amid broader regional instability, including attacks on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly one-fifth of global oil supply. As a result, Brent crude futures jumped roughly 10% to over $82 a barrel on Monday.
Saudi Arabia’s energy facilities have faced prior attacks, notably in September 2019 when drone and missile strikes temporarily cut more than half of the national crude production. Ras Tanura itself was previously targeted by Yemen’s Houthis in 2021.
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