Houthi strike hits Aramco building in Dhahran; Saudi Arabia intercepts more missiles over Riyadh

An administrative building of Saudi Aramco at its headquarters complex in Dhahran was hit in an attack attributed to Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Tuesday evening, 13 October, according to a Saudi Energy Ministry official quoted by the Saudi Press Agency. The official said the attack caused a “limited fire” and that there were no casualties.

The strike came hours after Saudi-led coalition strikes on oil sites in Houthi-held Yemen, and as Saudi air defences intercepted further missiles aimed at Riyadh overnight and into Wednesday, 14 October.

Strikes and interceptions

Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said a Houthi ballistic missile launched towards Riyadh was intercepted and destroyed on Wednesday, Arab News reported. Saudi Civil Defence said debris from two intercepted missiles injured four people in Riyadh and damaged about 15 homes.

• 13 October: Aramco administrative building in Dhahran hit; limited fire, no casualties reported (Energy Ministry)
• 13 October: ballistic missiles aimed at Dhahran and Haradh intercepted; three drones destroyed north of Riyadh (Arab News)
• 14 October: missile aimed at Riyadh intercepted; a cruise missile destroyed over Al-Kharj (al-Maliki)
• Four injured and about 15 homes damaged by debris in Riyadh (Saudi Civil Defence)

On 13 October the coalition issued an evacuation order for a Yemen Petroleum Company facility in Sanaa and then struck it, according to Al Jazeera and Euronews. It also hit oil sites in Dhamar and Saada and, according to Al Jazeera, oil storage at Ras Isa port in Hodeidah. Al-Maliki said the targets were supplying the Houthi war effort. The Yemen Petroleum Company said its tanks were empty and supplies would not be affected, Al Jazeera reported.

Saudi and Houthi statements

The Saudi cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said the Houthis would face “consequences” and that the kingdom “will not allow its security or freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait to be threatened,” Euronews reported.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree called Aramco sites “a legitimate target” and told employees and nearby civilians to evacuate, according to Al Jazeera. The group urged people to stay away from Riyadh’s airport, a refinery and Aramco facilities, and said it would continue targeting Saudi airports and oil sites.

Trump’s warning

US President Donald Trump said on 13 October that the Houthis were “behaving very badly”, acting “probably at the behest of Iran,” Euronews reported, citing AFP. Al Jazeera reported that he said he “might” ask Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to intervene. Euronews said Trump had earlier said he was considering joining Saudi strikes on the Houthis.

The new attacks follow a strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Saturday, 10 October, which killed 13 people, according to Arab News and Euronews. Reports that a Keralite expatriate was among those injured could not be independently confirmed by two sources at the time of writing.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Euronews, Arab News, The National