Kuwait's Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery hit by drones; fire reported
What's the story
Kuwait's Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery was hit by multiple drone attacks early Friday. The strikes caused a fire in some units of the facility, Reuters reported. As per the state news agency, no casualties have been reported so far and firefighters responded immediately to control the blaze. As a precautionary measure, several units at the refinery were temporarily closed for safety reasons.
Escalating conflict
Drone attack on Kuwait refinery amid Eid celebrations
The drone attack on the Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery comes as Kuwait celebrates Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan. This attack is part of a wider pattern of energy infrastructure being targeted in Gulf Arab states by Iran, following Israel's bombing of Iran's South Pars offshore natural gas field earlier this week.
Energy disruption
Drones strike Qatar's LNG facilities, causing large-scale fires
On Thursday, several energy assets in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait were targeted, raising concerns over potential disruptions to oil and gas supplies worldwide. In Qatar, drones struck liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities, including the Ras Laffan global LNG hub. According to Saad al-Kaabi, QatarEnergy's CEO and state minister for energy affairs, Qatar's liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity has been severely affected by recent Iranian attacks, resulting in an estimated $20 billion in annual revenue lost.