Drones Attack Two Saudi Oil Refineries: World's Largest Oil Processing Plant

Drone attacks spark huge fires at two Saudi oil refineries

By HENRY MARTIN FOR MAILONLINE and AFP

• Drone attacks sparked fires at Aramco oil facilities in eastern Saudi Arabia today
• Attacks took place at 4:00am at world's largest oil processing plant Abqaiq
• The Saudi interior ministry said the fires have now been brought under control 
• Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for attacks in Buqyaq and Khurais 
• Tensions are running high in the region after attacks in June and July on oil tankers in Gulf waters that Riyadh and Washington blamed on Iran

Ten drones launched by Iran-backed militants sparked a huge fire at the world's largest oil processing facility and a major oilfield in Saudi Arabia in the early hours of this morning.

The fires at Abqaiq in Buqyaq, which contains the world's largest oil processing plant, and Khurais, which contains the country's second largest oilfield, have now been brought under control since the drone attacks at 4.00am local time.  

Tensions are running high in the region after attacks in June and July on oil tankers in Gulf waters that Riyadh and Washington blamed on Iran. 

A military spokesman for Yemen's Houthi rebels, considered an Iranian proxy force in the region, has claimed responsibility for today's attacks on Abqaiq and Khurais, two major facilities in eastern Saudi Arabia run by state-owned oil giant Aramco.  

Houthi fighters in Yemen have previously launched attacks over the border, hitting Shaybah oilfield with drones last month and two oil pumping stations in May. Both attacks caused fires but did not disrupt production. 

Yahia Sarie announced that the Houthi's were taking responsibility for the attacks on Saturday in a televised address carried by the Houthi's Al-Masirah satellite news channel.

He said the Houthis sent 10 drones to attack an oil processing facility in Buqyaq and the Khurais oil field, warning that attacks by the rebels against the kingdom would only get worse if the war in Yemen continues.

Sarie said: 'The only option for the Saudi government is to stop attacking us.'  

Iran denies supplying the Houthis with weapons, although the U.N., the West and Gulf Arab nations say Tehran does. Drone models nearly identical to those used by Iran have been used in the conflict in Yemen.  

The attacks highlight how the increasingly advanced weaponry of the Iran-linked Huthi rebels - from ballistic missiles to unmanned drones - poses a serious threat to oil installations in Saudi Arabia, the world's top crude exporter.

Saudi Arabia's oil production and exports have been disrupted, three sources familiar with the matter have said.

One of the sources said the attacks have impacted 5 million barrels per day of oil production - almost half the kingdom's current output. The source did not elaborate.

Saudi Aramco operates the world's largest oil processing facility and crude oil stabilisation plant in the world at Abqaiq, in eastern Saudi Arabia. The plant has a crude oil processing capacity of more than 7 million barrels per day.

Authorities have not reported on casualties. A witness nearby said at least 15 ambulances were seen in the area and there was a heavy security presence around Abqaiq. 

The attack will likely heighten tensions further across the wider Persian Gulf amid a confrontation between the U.S. and Iran over its unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.   

Saudi Aramco describes its Abqaiq oil processing facility in Buqyaq as 'the largest crude oil stabilisation plant in the world.' 

The facility, which processes sour crude oil into sweet crude, then later transports onto transshipment points on the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, has been targeted in the past by militants. 

Abqaiq facility, located 37 miles southwest of Aramco's Dhahran headquarters, is home to the company's largest oil processing plant, according to its website (pictured: Smoke is seen following a fire at an Aramco factory in Abqaiq)