The Bapco Refinery, operated by Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), is Bahrain’s main oil processing facility.

Thick smoke was seen rising from the direction of Bahrain's main oil refinery on Monday, after authorities earlier reported damage and injuries in the nearby Sitra area following a suspected drone strike by Iran. Videos circulating on social media showed plumes of dark smoke billowing into the sky from the direction of the Bapco Refinery, a key oil processing facility in Sitra, Bahrain.

A witness said smoke surrounded the refinery complex after the Bahraini government reported that the Sitra area had been hit by an Iranian drone attack, which caused injuries and damage.

Authorities did not immediately confirm whether the refinery itself was directly hit, but the facility lies close to the area where the attack was reported.

The Bapco Refinery, operated by Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), is Bahrain’s main oil processing facility and a crucial component of the country’s energy infrastructure, handling crude oil for domestic use and export.

The incident comes as the Middle East faces a rapidly escalating conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel. The war began on February 28 after US and Israeli forces launched large-scale airstrikes on Iranian military and government targets, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and triggering retaliatory missile and drone attacks by Iran across the region.

Since then, Iran has targeted US bases and allied infrastructure across the Gulf, including in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, while Israel and the US have continued strikes on Iranian military facilities.The broader conflict has disrupted oil infrastructure and shipping routes across the Middle East, pushing global oil prices above $100 per barrel and raising fears of a wider regional war.