Saudi Aramco Riyadh building damaged after attempted attack

An administrative building belonging to state oil giant Saudi Aramco in Riyadh was damaged by falling debris following an attempted attack on Sunday, with no injuries or deaths, the kingdom’s energy ministry said.

A Reuters witness saw windows blown out on several floors of the Aramco Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the capital’s King Abdullah financial district.

The incident, which the ministry said caused limited damage, came after the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted two missiles fired by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis toward Riyadh.

Aramco was not immediately available for comment, and there was no immediate statement from the Houthis.

Several loud bangs were heard in Riyadh earlier on Sunday, a Reuters witness said, shortly after Saudi civil defense issued an early warning about a potential threat in the region. Authorities later announced that the danger had passed.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis later said it had intercepted and destroyed two cruise missiles in Riyadh and the kingdom’s southern region.

The Houthis have stepped up missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, ports and oil installations since fighting resumed in July and have become another front in the Middle East war, reignited after U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran in February.

Saudi Arabia has carried out airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

Earlier on Sunday, Saudi Civil Defense issued and then lifted warnings in several areas of the oil-rich Eastern Province, including in Dhahran, home to the headquarters of state oil giant Saudi Aramco.

The Eastern Province holds most of the kingdom’s oil and gas reserves. The Saudi Aramco headquarters suffered significant damage during an attack in October.

An attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on October 10 killed 13 people and injured more than 300, according to Saudi authorities.

The resumption of hostilities shattered a UN-brokered truce in 2022, which had largely halted fighting between the two sides.

Saudi Arabia led a coalition of Arab states in Yemen in 2015 to restore the internationally recognized government after the Houthis captured the capital Sanaa.

The latest escalation comes a day after Yemen’s Houthi-run health ministry said Saudi airstrikes had killed at least 33 people near Sanaa. Saudi authorities said they were investigating.