Smoke rising from the Thai bulk carrier 'Mayuree Naree' near the Strait of Hormuz after an attack. A Thai bulk carrier travelling in the crucial Strait of Hormuz was attacked on Wednesday. — AFP RIYADH, Mar 11 (AFP/Reuters): Saudi Arabia said Wednesday it had intercepted a wave of seven drones heading towards a strategic oil field, as Iran renewed fire on its Gulf neighbours and their energy infrastructure.
"Two drones heading towards the Shaybah oil field were intercepted and destroyed," the defence ministry said in a post on X.
It said another five drones were intercepted and destroyed in separate posts.
The Shaybah oil field, crucial to the kingdom's vast oil production, sits near the border with the United Arab Emirates and is operated by Saudi giant Aramco, one of the world's biggest companies by market capitalisation.
The kingdom also said it intercepted seven ballistic missiles in separate attacks targeting the country's eastern region and the Prince Sultan Air Base, where an American soldier was hit on March 1 and died a week later.
Strikes blamed on US kills 5
Iran-backed fighters in Iraq
Five Iran-backed fighters in Iraq were killed on Tuesday in strikes their groups blamed on the United States.
The Kataeb Imam Ali group said four fighters were killed in an "American aggression" at dawn against one of their positions in the Debs district of Kirkuk province in northern Iraq.
Late Tuesday, another strike killed a fighter from the Kataeb Hezbollah group in al-Qaem area near the Iraqi-Syrian border, a source from the group told AFP.
The bombings targeted positions occupied by the Hashed al-Shaabi, an alliance of factions integrated into Iraq's regular army.
An unknown projectile hit a cargo ship in the strategic Strait of Hormuz abutting Iran, causing a fire and forcing the crew to evacuate, a maritime security agency said on Wednesday.
"It has been reported that a cargo vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile in
the Straits of Hormuz which has resulted in a fire onboard," the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said.
Israeli strike on east
Lebanon town kills 7
An Israeli air strike killed seven people and wounded 18 others in an east Lebanon town on Wednesday, the Lebanese health ministry said, as the war in Lebanon entered its 10th day.
"The Israeli enemy's air strikes this morning on the Bekaa resulted in the following toll in Tamnin al-Tahta: seven martyrs and 18 wounded," the ministry said.
State media reported that the raid targeted "a building... inhabited by a Syrian family".
Iran police chief says anti-govt
protesters treated as 'enemies'
Iranian protesters will be treated as enemies if they support Tehran's foes, the country's top police officer warned, as the Middle East war sparked fears mass anti-government rallies could reignite.
"If anyone comes forward in line with the wishes of the enemy, we will no longer see them as merely a protester, we will see them as an enemy," said national police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan in comments aired by state broadcaster IRIB late on Tuesday.
"And we will do to them what we do to an enemy. We will deal with them in the same way we deal with enemies," he added.
"All our forces are also ready, with their hands on the trigger, prepared to defend their revolution."
Several explosions
heard across Doha
Several blasts rang out across the Qatari capital Doha on Wednesday, AFP correspondents said, as Iran's retaliatory strikes on the Gulf entered a twelfth day.
"The security threat level is high," the interior ministry posted on X, urging "everyone to adhere to staying at home, not going out, and staying away from windows and open areas to preserve public safety".
Pope laments death of
children in Iran war
Pope Leo on Wednesday lamented the death of numerous civilians in the Iran war and also expressed closeness to people in Lebanon, saying the country, targeted by Israeli strikes, was going through a "great trial."
Leo, who has appealed several times for an end to the expanding conflict and warned that the violence could spiral out of control, called on pilgrims in his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square to pray for peace.
"Let us continue to pray for peace in Iran, and throughout the Middle East, especially for the many civilian victims, including many innocent children," said the pontiff, as the war continued into its 12th day.
He made no mention of any specific incident involving children.
A girls' school in Minab, in southern Iran, was hit on February 28 during the first day of U.S. and Israeli attacks on the country. Iran's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said the strike killed 150 students. Reuters could not independently confirm the death toll.
© 2026 - All Rights with The Financial Express
