Saudi Aramco orders Dhahran headquarters evacuation as Houthi attacks intensify
RIYADH: Saudi state oil company Aramco has told staff to evacuate its headquarters in Dhahran on the Gulf, six people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Thursday, as fighting between the world’s largest crude exporter and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis intensifies.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - The country's state oil company Aramco has ordered staff to evacuate its Dhahran headquarters as the intensity of attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis increases. The Houthi group, which has been clashing with Saudi Arabia's coalition against the internationally recognized Yemeni government, has intensified their operations targeting the kingdom.
The evacuation order follows a series of attacks on Aramco facilities and Saudi airports. Currently, the Saudi benchmark index TASI has dropped by 2.5 percent following the Aramco news. Oil prices have risen to their highest since May due to concerns over an escalation of the Middle East conflict and its potential impact on crude oil supplies, which are critical for the world's major exporter.
The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, claimed they launched attacks on Aramco facilities in Yanbu and the Saudi defence ministry. In response, the Saudi-led coalition intercepted drones over Riyadh and the holy city of Madinah. This development ends a 2022 UN-brokered truce, opening a new front in the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran.
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