Last Updated on March 15, 2026 12:37 am by INDIAN AWAAZ
AMN / NEWS DESK
Saudi Arabia’s air defenses have intercepted 20 drones and a ballistic missile aimed at various targets across the Kingdom since Friday evening, reports Arab News quoting Ministry of Defense.
In a series of posts on X, the ministry said the fresh wave of strikes began at around 7 p.m. Friday, roughly 10 hours after the previous attack was reported at past 9 a.m. the same day.
Also on Saturday, two drones were intercepted and destroyed in the Eastern Province, the Saudi Press Agency reported, citing Spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense, Major General Turki Al-Maliki.
Seventeen drones were intercepted in the Eastern Province, two in the Empty Quarter and one in the northern province of Al-Jouf. The lone missile was aimed at the Prince Sultan Air Base in Al-Kharj, about 80 kilometers southeast of Riyadh city, the national capital.
The ministry did not specify the origin of the strikes, but they are widely presumed to be Iranian. Iran has been targeting military and civilian installations across the Gulf region in retaliation for US and Israeli air strikes on Iranian territory, which began on February 28.
Based on the ministry’s posts and reports from the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the latest wave brings the total number of hostile drones intercepted and destroyed in the Kingdom to an estimated 150. Air defenses have also shot down approximately 25 missiles, mostly ballistic with some cruise missiles among them.
Interceptions have been reported across multiple areas, including the Eastern Province, near the Shaybah oilfield in the Empty Quarter, the Riyadh region, and other parts of the Kingdom.
The single heaviest day of attacks so far was March 12, when air defenses shot down 31 drones.
Elsewhere in the region, Qatar’s defense ministry said they have successfully intercepted a missile targeting country.
In Kuwait, a hostile drone was shot down in an area under Kuwait’s armed forces jurisdiction.
Bahrain meanwhile said they have intercepted and destroyed 121 ballistic missiles and 193 drones targeting the Kingdom since the onset of hostilities.
Dubai authorities meanwhile said that incident caused by debris, which struck the facade of a building in central Dubai after a successful interception, has been fully contained.