Largest Middle East refinery closed following drone attack
The closure comes as the deadly regional conflict enters its 11th day
The Ruwais oil refinery, the largest single-site refinery in the Middle East and one of the world's top four, has been shut down as a precaution following a drone attack, Bloomberg reported today (10 March).
The closure comes as the deadly regional conflict enters its 11th day. Earlier, Abu Dhabi authorities said a fire broke out at a facility within the Ruwais industrial complex after the drone strike, with no injuries reported so far.
There was no immediate confirmation on whether the refinery itself was directly hit. The facility has a refining capacity of about 922,000 barrels of crude oil and condensate per day.
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On 28 February, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei along with senior military officials and civilians.
Iran retaliated with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli and U.S. assets across the Middle East.
Today, the UAE Defence Ministry said its air defence systems had detected 262 ballistic missiles, 1,475 drones, and eight cruise missiles since the start of Iranian attacks.
The systems intercepted eight of nine ballistic missiles and 26 of 35 drones launched toward the country alone.
Six nationals from the UAE, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh have been killed, while 122 residents of various nationalities sustained minor to moderate injuries amid the escalating tensions.
