Aramco Headquarters Hit as Houthi Missiles Strike Saudi Arabia

Saudi Aramco’s executive headquarters in eastern Saudi Arabia was hit during a missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi militants on Tuesday, causing a fire in a part of the complex, the kingdom’s energy ministry said.

(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Aramco’s executive headquarters in eastern Saudi Arabia was hit during a missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi militants on Tuesday, causing a fire in a part of the complex, the kingdom’s energy ministry said.

The strike on an office complex in Dhahran caused a limited fire and no injuries, according to the ministry. The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said Houthi missiles had targeted several cities in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, including the capital Riyadh. 

Shrapnel from an interception fell in part of a residential area in Dhahran, the coalition said. Aramco didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

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A Houthi missile attack hit Aramco’s executive office complex in Dhahran, causing a limited fire. Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry said there were no injuries.

No injuries were reported from the strike on the office complex. The Saudi-led coalition said shrapnel from an intercepted missile fell in part of a residential area in Dhahran.

Dhahran is at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s oil economy and is home to Aramco’s headquarters. The kingdom’s largest oil fields are in the Eastern Province and the Persian Gulf.

The warning came after the Saudi-led coalition told civilians to evacuate an oil facility in Houthi-controlled Sanaa. The Houthis also urged oil workers to stay away from Saudi sites that could become targets.

A refinery in Jazan had been shut after an earlier attack, and a key oil export port on the Red Sea coast had also been targeted. A cross-country pipeline used by Aramco to transport oil to world markets was temporarily shut after an attack launched from Iraq.

The missiles launches are part of a wave of attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent days that has also targeted airports around the country, which left at least 18 people dead and hundreds injured. 

The latest Houthi attacks come after the Saudi coalition had warned people in the vicinity of an oil site in Houthi-held capital Sanaa in Yemen to leave the area “for their safety.”

Oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia has also been targeted during the escalating hostilities with the Houthis. 

A refinery at Jazan in the kingdom’s west has been shut since an earlier attack, while a key oil export port on the Red Sea coast has also been targeted. A cross-country pipeline that’s been the main means for Aramco to get its oil to world markets was temporarily shut last month following an attack launched from Iraq.

Dhahran, located along Saudi Arabia’s Persian Gulf coast, is at the heart of the kingdom’s oil economy. In addition to Aramco, the region is home to a university specializing in petroleum engineering and a major air base. Saudi Arabia’s biggest oil fields are located in the deserts of the Eastern Province and in the Persian Gulf.