Saudi Arabia's air defences intercepted a wave of Iranian drones and missiles on Saturday, including attempts to hit an oil field close to the border with the UAE.
Meanwhile, neighbouring Bahrain moved to activate a defence pact with the US and the UK amid continuous Iranian attacks on Gulf states.
The Saudi Defence Ministry said that since midnight, 11 drones and two ballistic missiles were intercepted and destroyed before reaching their targets across the kingdom.
The most significant attempt involved 10 drones heading toward the Shaybah oil field, a major Saudi Aramco facility located near the UAE border. The field is one of the kingdom’s energy hubs, producing around one million barrels of crude oil a day and connected to export infrastructure across the Gulf.
Saudi forces shot down the drones over the desert before they reached the site, authorities said.
In a separate incident, another drone was intercepted east of Riyadh, while two ballistic missiles targeting Prince Sultan Air Base, a major Saudi and allied military installation south of the capital, were also destroyed.
Officials said all threats were neutralised before reaching their targets, with no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Defence Prince Khalid bin Salman met with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir.
"We discussed Iranian attacks on the Kingdom and the measures needed to halt them within the framework of our Joint Strategic Defence Agreement," he wrote on X.
"We stressed that such actions undermine regional security and stability and expressed hope that the Iranian side will exercise wisdom and avoid miscalculation."
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had signed a strategic mutual defence agreement in September, as a way of strengthening joint deterrence. Under the agreement, any aggression against either country would be considered aggression against both.
In Bahrain, Manama escalated its diplomatic and military response after Iranian drones targeted residential areas in the kingdom.
Manama said it had activated Article II of the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (C-SIPA), a defence arrangement with the US and the UK that allows allied consultations and co-ordinated responses when a member state faces external aggression.
The activation triggered urgent consultations between Bahraini officials, US Central Command commander Admiral Brad Cooper and Britain’s chief of the defence staff.
According to Bahraini authorities, seven Iranian attack drones hit civilian neighbourhoods in the kingdom. Adm Cooper described the attack as “unacceptable and will not go unanswered”. Britain also announced it will sent four additional Typhoon fighter jets to help.
The latest escalation follows Iranian strikes that hit a hotel and two residential buildings in the capital Manama, causing material damage but no casualties. A separate missile strike also sparked a fire at a unit of Bapco Energies’ refinery, though the blaze was quickly contained and operations continued.
Bahraini officials say the kingdom’s air defences have intercepted 143 drones and 78 missiles since the war began, underscoring the scale of attacks targeting Gulf states as the conflict enters its second week.
