What is the Shaybah oil field?
Shaybah is an oil field in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, operated by the state oil company Saudi Aramco. Sources say it can produce about one million barrels of crude oil a day. It was struck by a drone in a recent attack that killed two people.
Why it's in the news
A drone strike on the Shaybah field and a separate attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam happened within hours of each other on October 21, 2026. Officials say three people were killed in the two attacks.
- Attack on Dammam Airport — One killed, eight hurt in attack on Dammam airport in Saudi Arabia
Background
Shaybah is an oil field in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, the region along the Persian Gulf where most of the kingdom's oil is found. Saudi Aramco, the country's national oil company, runs the field. Sources state that the field has the capacity to produce about 1 million barrels of crude oil a day.
Saudi Arabia has been in a conflict with the Iran-backed Houthis, a militant group based in Yemen. The kingdom has faced a series of attacks in recent months, and officials have not said who carried out each one.
On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, a drone strike hit the Shaybah field early in the day and killed two people. Saudi Energy Ministry officials said oil production was not affected. In the same hours, an attack struck King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, also in the Eastern Province, killing one person and injuring eight. No group has been confirmed as responsible for the airport attack. Together, the two attacks left three people dead.