Saudi petrochemical complex hit after barrage targets country’s east

RIYADH (AFP): Overnight attacks on Saudi Arabia hit a petrochemical complex in a sprawling industrial area in the eastern city of Jubail, a source on the ground told AFP on Tuesday, hours after similar installations in Iran were struck.

“An attack caused a fire at the SABIC plants in Jubail. The sounds of explosions were very loud,” the source told AFP, referring to the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation.

Jubail in eastern Saudi Arabia is home to one of the world’s largest industrial cities, where steel, gasoline, petrochemicals, lubricating oil and chemical fertilisers are produced.

On Monday, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said his country conducted a “powerful strike” on Iran’s largest petrochemical facility in Asaluyeh and Iranian media reported multiple explosions at the site.

The attack on the industrial area came as Saudi air defence forces engaged a barrage targeting the kingdom’s eastern region, with seven ballistic missiles intercepted and destroyed, according to a defence ministry spokesperson.

“Parts of ballistic missile debris fell around power facilities; damage assessment is underway,” the ministry said in a post on X.

Early Tuesday, authorities also announced the temporary closure of the major bridge connecting Saudi Arabia and the island nation of Bahrain as a precaution following the issuance of security alerts in the area.

“The movement of vehicles across King Fahd Bridge has been suspended as a precautionary measure,” said the General Authority for King Fahd Causeway in a post online.

The King Fahd Causeway is a 25-kilometre (16-mile) series of bridges connecting Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of regularly targeting its energy installations and infrastructure since Tehran launched a sustained blitz across the Gulf region after Israel and the US attacked Iran in late February.