Several floors of Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco’s headquarters in Riyadh sustained damage after a Houthi attack, with windows shattered across parts of the building.
According to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy, the building suffered limited damage, while no casualties were reported.
Reuters reported that the Saudi-led coalition said the country’s air defence systems intercepted and destroyed Houthi missiles targeting Riyadh early in the morning. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack and announced an escalation of their operations against Saudi Arabia.
The coalition also confirmed that another Houthi missile was intercepted over the Eastern Province, home to most of Saudi Arabia’s oil and gas reserves. It further stated that missile-launching facilities used in the attacks had been destroyed in Sanaa and Saada, Yemen.
According to the report, the Houthis have intensified attacks on Aramco facilities in recent weeks. Earlier, the company’s headquarters in Dhahran, in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, was also damaged in an attack.
Tensions between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition have escalated since September, when the Houthis advanced towards the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key maritime passage between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Following this development, missile and drone attacks on Saudi ports and airports reportedly increased.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree also claimed that Sunday’s attacks targeted Riyadh International Airport. However, Saudi authorities have not confirmed the claim. An earlier attack on the airport in October reportedly killed 13 people and injured more than 300 others.
In response to Houthi attacks, Saudi Arabia has continued airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen. Yemen’s Houthi-controlled Ministry of Health claimed that at least 40 people were killed in Saudi airstrikes near Sanaa on Sunday, while Saudi authorities said an investigation into the incident had been launched.
The report further stated that Saudi Arabia has sought defensive and offensive military assistance from the United States, European countries and several Middle Eastern states to counter Houthi attacks. In October, the United Kingdom announced plans to deploy fighter jets on a defensive mission to help protect Saudi cities from Houthi aerial attacks.
