Houthis Target Aramco Headquarters in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia Reports Limited Fire

Aramco Fire in Dhahran

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy said a “limited fire” broke out in an administrative building belonging to Aramco in the city of Dahran in the Eastern Province after it was targeted on Tuesday evening. The ministry said Saudi authorities began handling the incident and taking the necessary measures, confirming that there were no injuries or fatalities. The Houthis threatened Saudi Arabia with continuing attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities after targeting the Aramco headquarters, and the group said it launched ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones at Aramco facilities in Dahran.

The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis toward Riyadh, and it said several sounds were heard in the Saudi capital. The AP reported that the attack came as the Iranian-backed Houthis and the Saudi coalition fighting them exchanged attacks Tuesday night, with Saudi Civil Defense saying debris from two intercepted Houthi missiles fell on residential areas in Riyadh, injuring four people and damaging 15 homes.

Reporting for this sectionAl-KhaleejAP News

Houthis Vow, Coalition Warnings

Mahdi al-Mashat, President of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, vowed in a televised speech Tuesday to continue fighting Saudi Arabia until Riyadh ends its war and blockade against Yemen.

Al-Mashat told Yemen’s SABA News Agency that Yemen’s retaliatory operations against Saudi Arabia were justified, saying their primary objective was to end 12 years of Saudi-led aggression and blockade.

The Houthis warned that they would continue attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities, and they urged international shipping companies and civilians, as well as workers at airports and oil facilities, to evacuate these sites.

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense said four people were injured in Riyadh after fragments from two Houthi missiles fell following their interception and destruction, and it said the debris caused limited damage to 15 homes.

The AP said the coalition urged civilians in the Houthi-controlled capital to leave the Yemeni Oil Company site ahead of a possible strike, and it quoted coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki accusing the Houthis of using the facility and its underground fuel depots for their arsenal of missiles and drones.

Reporting for this sectionAl-Manar TV LebanonAP News

Escalation and Oil Stakes

The Saudi-led coalition said it attacked the Yemen Petroleum Company’s Al-Sabaha Central Station on the western outskirts of Sanaa on October 13 after issuing an advance evacuation warning.

The coalition said it targeted underground fuel reserves, energy terminals in Hodeidah, Sanaa and Dhamar, and fuel-loading piers at the port of Hodeidah, and it said the operation aimed at neutralising the Houthis’ ability to threaten Saudi Arabia, Yemen, the southern Red Sea and international shipping lanes.

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree had warned before the coalition operation that any attacks on Sanaa would be met with “a harsh and painful response in the capital of the Saudi enemy, Riyadh,” according to Al Jazeera.

The Houthis also threatened that targets could include the Saudi Aramco headquarters in Dhahran and an oil refinery in Riyadh, and the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted a series of Houthi-launched ballistic missiles, drones and cruise missiles in multiple areas including Riyadh and the southern province of Wadi al-Dawasir.

The AP reported that airlines moved a number of their planes out of Riyadh on Tuesday on the advice of insurers and government officials because of the threat of additional attacks, and it said more than 3,120 flights scheduled to depart from airports across Saudi Arabia since Oct. 8 have been canceled or listed as not operating, representing about 41% of scheduled departures.

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