Saudi air defences down missiles as petrochemical site fire and causeway closure signal rising Gulf threat

Saudi authorities temporarily suspended traffic on the King Fahd Causeway early Tuesday after security alerts were issued across the kingdom’s eastern region following missile activity and attacks on industrial facilities.

The closure came as Saudi air defence units intercepted and destroyed seven ballistic missiles targeting the area, with officials reporting that fragments of intercepted projectiles landed near power infrastructure. Damage assessments were ongoing, according to a defence ministry spokesperson.

Separately, a fire broke out at a petrochemical complex operated by Saudi Basic Industries Corporation in the industrial city of Jubail after overnight strikes hit facilities in the sprawling manufacturing hub. The city hosts one of the world’s largest industrial clusters producing steel, gasoline, petrochemicals, lubricants and fertilisers.

The incidents unfolded hours after Israel announced it had carried out a “powerful strike” on Iran’s largest petrochemical installation in Asaluyeh, where Iranian media reported multiple explosions at the site on Monday.

Saudi Arabia has in recent weeks accused Iran of repeatedly targeting its energy infrastructure, part of an intensifying regional confrontation that escalated after Israeli and US strikes on Iranian territory in late February.