Key facts
- Saudi Arabia reported an attack on an Aramco administrative building in Dhahran on Tuesday evening.
- The attack on the Aramco building caused a limited fire.
- Debris from intercepted Houthi missiles in Riyadh wounded four people.
- Fifteen homes were damaged by debris from intercepted missiles.
- The Houthis had warned civilians to evacuate Saudi oil facilities earlier on Tuesday.
- The Saudi-led coalition stated it intercepted several missiles over Riyadh on Tuesday evening.
Saudi Arabia reported on Wednesday that an attack on an administrative building belonging to oil giant Aramco in Dhahran on Tuesday evening caused a limited fire. Debris from intercepted Houthi missiles also wounded four people and damaged 15 homes in the capital, Riyadh, according to the Civil Defense spokesperson.
The incidents occurred hours after the Saudi-led coalition announced it had intercepted several missiles on Tuesday evening, including over Riyadh. The Houthis had earlier issued a warning for employees and civilians near Saudi oil facilities to evacuate, deeming them a "legitimate target." This warning followed an evacuation order from the Saudi-led coalition for civilians at Yemen’s Oil Company’s al-Sabah central station in Sanaa.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree responded to the coalition’s evacuation order by warning of a "harsh and painful" reprisal on Riyadh if any strikes were made on Sanaa. Media outlets affiliated with the Houthis reported that air strikes by Saudi-backed forces hit an oil facility in the al-Sabah area of Sanaa shortly after the warning. Witnesses in Sanaa reported hearing explosions and forming lines at gas stations amid fears of shortages.
Saudi Arabia also conducted air strikes on Ras Isa port and an oil station in Hodeidah province. Major General Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, accused the Houthis of using the al-Sabah facility and its underground fuel depots for their missile and drone arsenal. Saree stated that Houthi fighters were confronting Saudi-backed forces in Sanaa and reiterated that the Houthis would target evacuated sites if the coalition proceeded with an attack on Sanaa.
Previous attacks on Riyadh’s airport earlier in the week resulted in casualties and injuries, leading several international airlines to suspend flights to Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries.