Aramco building attacked after Saudi-led coalition hits Houthi site

On Tuesday night, a missile attack targeted the administrative building of Saudi Arabia's state oil company Aramco in Dhahran, causing a fire but resulting in no casualties. The Energy Ministry confirmed the incident occurred in the Eastern Province, and authorities promptly responded to the attack. Four individuals were injured by debris from two cruise missiles intercepted and destroyed over Riyadh, including two women, a man, and a child, according to the Saudi civil defence.

The site targeted by the missile remains unclear, with Aramco and Saudi authorities neither officially confirming nor denying the specifics. Bloomberg reported that the target was Aramco's executive headquarters, while a company source identified it as an Aramco complex. The Saudi-led coalition combating Houthi rebels in Yemen separately stated that they had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile aimed at Dhahran, with debris falling into a residential area.

The coalition also reported the interception of a missile targeting Haradh and three drones north of Riyadh.

Additionally, the coalition disclosed that it had carried out an operation against energy sites in Houthi-controlled regions of Yemen, including the Al Sabahah station in Sanaa's capital and fuel-loading berths in Hodeidah, Sanaa, and Dhamar. Coalition spokesman Maj Gen Turki Al Malki accused the Houthis of utilizing civilian infrastructure to sustain their military operations and fuel their arsenals.

Video footage on social media reportedly showed a large orange fireball erupting above Sanaa, followed by a massive column of thick black smoke. The strikes occurred after the coalition had warned residents near the oil facility to evacuate for their safety. The scale of the damage to the facility and the impact on fuel supplies remain undetermined. The Houthis claimed they had dispersed fuel reserves prior to the attack, a claim yet to be independently verified.

Tensions have escalated following Houthi missile and drone strikes on Saudi territory, with the coalition accusing the Houthis of exploiting fuel infrastructure to bolster their military efforts. Saudi energy infrastructure has faced previous attacks, such as a refinery shutdown in Jazan and a key oil export port on the Red Sea coast.

A cross-country pipeline used by Aramco to transport crude to export markets was also temporarily halted in September following an attack from Iraq. Oil prices surged on Wednesday, as traders assessed the potential ramifications of further disruptions to regional energy supplies. The immediate impact on production, refining, or exports remains uncertain.

Dhahran, situated at the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil industry, is located near major oil fields in the Eastern Province and the Gulf.