Iran launches wave of drones at Saudi Arabia as Gulf defenses intercept barrage
Riyadh — Iran launched dozens of drones toward Saudi Arabia early on Monday in a renewed wave of attacks targeting the kingdom’s Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said, as regional air defenses intercepted the aircraft amid an escalating conflict across the Gulf.
Saudi Defense Ministry spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki said the attacks began shortly after midnight, with 48 drones launched in roughly two hours.
In a series of posts on X starting at 2:22 a.m. local time, he said Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed all the drones before they reached their intended targets.The strikes form part of a broader pattern of nightly drone operations attributed to Iran, which Saudi officials say have intensified in recent weeks.
The drone barrage came hours after Iran’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alireza Enayati, shared a notice attributed to Iran’s military command asserting that the aircraft being used in attacks were not Iranian systems.
According to the statement cited by Enayati, “the enemy” was deploying drones disguised as Iranian-made Shahed drone under the name “Lucas drone,” an allegation that appeared aimed at deflecting responsibility for the strikes.
Saudi authorities did not comment on the claim.
Saudi defense officials said the latest attacks raised the number of drones intercepted in the kingdom to more than 230 since the campaign began.
Defense Ministry statements also show that more than 30 missiles have been shot down during the same period.Other Gulf states have reported similar increases in aerial threats.
Authorities in Bahrain said their air defenses had intercepted 125 missiles and 203 drones, with two people killed there and 24 others across the region.
The United Arab Emirates said its military had engaged 294 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and approximately 1,600 drones during the conflict, reporting six fatalities.
Officials across the Gulf say the attacks have followed a recurring pattern of overnight drone launches followed by relative calm during daylight hours.
