Houthis fire cruise missiles at Saudi Arabia; Riyadh’s Aramco tower damaged by debris

An administrative building belonging to state oil giant Saudi Aramco in Riyadh was damaged by falling debris following a Houthi attack on Sunday, with no injuries or fatalities reported, the kingdom’s Energy Ministry said.

A Reuters witness saw blown-out windows across several floors of the Aramco Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the capital’s King Abdullah Financial District.

The incident, which the ministry said caused limited damage, came after the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted two missiles fired by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis towards Riyadh.

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Aramco was not immediately available for comment, and there was no immediate statement from the Houthis.

The King Abdullah Financial District is one of the most visible manifestations of the kingdom’s ongoing economic and social reforms drive, with towering glass skyscrapers, high-end retail outlets and green spaces dotting the area.

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Targeting the district would mark a major escalation in the kingdom’s fight with the Houthis.

The area is also home to residential housing and a large metro station with heavy commuter traffic during the morning rush hour.

Multiple loud booms were heard in Riyadh earlier on Sunday, a witness said, shortly after Saudi Civil Defense issued and later lifted warnings in several areas of the oil-rich Eastern Province, including Dhahran, home to the headquarters of state oil giant Saudi Aramco.

The Eastern Province holds most of the kingdom’s oil and gas reserves. Saudi Aramco’s headquarters suffered extensive damage in an attack in October.

The Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting the Houthis subsequently said it had intercepted and destroyed two cruise missiles in Riyadh and the kingdom’s southern region.

The kingdom has been pressing allies for help as it comes under daily fire from the Houthis that recently seized swathes of the Red Sea coastline from the Riyadh-backed government.

The Houthis have stepped up missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities since fighting resumed in July and became another front in the wider Middle East war reignited following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran in February.

Saudi Arabia has carried out airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

An attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on October 10 killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, according to Saudi authorities.

The renewed hostilities have shattered a 2022 UN-brokered truce that had largely halted fighting between the two sides.

Saudi Arabia led a coalition of Arab states into Yemen in 2015 to restore the internationally recognized government after the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa.

The latest escalation came a day after Yemen’s Houthi-run health ministry said Saudi airstrikes killed at least 33 people near Sanaa. Saudi authorities said they were investigating.

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