Missile debris damages Aramco building in Riyadh as Saudi Arabia intercepts Houthi attack

Falling debris from intercepted missiles damaged an office building of Saudi Aramco, the State oil company, in Riyadh on 8 November, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said. The damage was minor and no one was hurt.

The Saudi-led coalition said it shot down two ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels towards the capital, and later two cruise missiles aimed at Riyadh and the south of the country. Civil defence sirens sounded in the Riyadh region before loud bangs were heard, Reuters reported. The authorities later said the threat had passed.

What the Houthis said

Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had attacked targets in Saudi Arabia, including King Khalid International Airport and Aramco sites in Riyadh, Khurais and Abqaiq. He said attacks would continue until what he called the “aggression” and blockade against Yemen end. Saudi officials have not confirmed damage beyond the Riyadh building.

The background

A truce brokered by the United Nations had largely held between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis since 2022, but fighting resumed in July. The Houthis have since fired at Saudi airports, ports and oil sites, and Saudi Arabia has carried out air strikes in Yemen. On 7 November, the Houthi-run health ministry said Saudi strikes near Sanaa had killed at least 33 people; Saudi authorities said they were looking into the report.

The fighting is part of the wider war in West Asia that began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran in February. A large share of India’s crude oil comes from the Gulf, and Saudi Arabia is one of its biggest suppliers.