This April 4, 2009, file photo, shows a gas production facility at Ras Laffan, Qatar. AP
Earlier, the Qatari Defense Ministry stated: We intercepted four ballistic missiles, and the fifth landed in Ras Laffan Industrial City, the largest facility for treatment and liquefaction of natural gas in the country, causing a fire which is currently being dealt with."
Qatar is the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer. The Ras Laffan complex, located 80km (50 miles) northeast of Doha, is the world’s largest LNG production facility/export complex. It produces about 20 percent of the global LNG supply, playing a major role in balancing both Asian and European markets’ demand for the fuel.
In Saudi Arabia, air defences countered ballistic missiles, and loud explosions were heard echoing over the capital Riyadh. Residents also received a phone alert warning that "the area is under hostile aerial threat".
"Air defences are dealing with a ballistic threat in Riyadh," the Saudi defence ministry said, quoting a spokesperson in a statement on X.
The Saudi Civil Defense agency said four individuals were hurt when shrapnel fell on a residential area in Riyadh near an oil refinery, causing limited damage. It said they were not Saudi citizens but did not provide their nationalities.
In Bahrain, the Ministry of Interior stated, "Sirens have been activated, and we urge citizens and residents to proceed to the nearest safe place."
In the UAE, Abu Dhabi media bureau said that operations were suspended at Jishan natural gas facility after an attack but no injuries were reported.
The new round of reported Iranian attacks on the Gulf countries comes hours after Tehran vowed to retaliate against energy hubs in the region for the US and Israel airstrike on the Pars gas field, the largest natural gas field in the world, which is shared by Iran and Qatar.
Earlier on Wednesday, in a statement released on Wednesday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard warned Saudi, Emirati and Qatari citizens and residents to keep clear of the following locations: Samref refinery in Saudi Arabia; Al Hosn gas field in the United Arab Emirates; Al-Jubail petrochemical complex in Saudi Arabia; Mesaieed petrochemical complex and Mesaieed holding company (a subsidiary of Chevron) in Qatar; and Ras Laffan natural gas hub (phases 1 and 2) in Qatar.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had warned earlier that the attack on the Pars energy site, the largest known gas reserve on earth, "could have uncontrollable consequences, the scope of which could engulf the entire world."
In a statement after the most recent attacks on the Arab Gulf countries, Egypt strongly condemned attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, as well as strikes on civilian infrastructure and energy facilities in the Gulf region on Wednesday, warning of the serious implications for regional stability and global energy security.
In tandem, in a statement, the head of the GCC condemned the attack on Ras Laffan as a "blatant violation of international law."
Short link: