Houthi Missiles Hit Aramco Building in Dhahran as Saudi Coalition Strikes Yemen Fuel Site

An administrative building belonging to Saudi Aramco in Dhahran caught fire on Tuesday evening after a Houthi attack, Saudi officials said. The fire was limited and caused no casualties. Debris from two intercepted cruise missiles wounded four people in Riyadh, including two women, a man, and a child, and damaged 15 homes.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis reported intercepting multiple projectiles targeting the Riyadh region and southern areas. A ballistic missile aimed at Dhahran was also destroyed, with debris falling in a residential zone. The attacks continued into Wednesday. Saudi civil defence and energy ministry statements described the Aramco incident as striking an administrative complex rather than a production facility.

Hours earlier the coalition struck a fuel depot near Sanaa. It said the site supported Houthi missile and drone operations against Saudi airports, energy targets, and Red Sea shipping. Houthi statements warned of a “painful” response and specifically threatened Riyadh’s international airport, a refinery, and an Aramco site in Dammam if further Saudi strikes occurred. Residents in Riyadh reported hearing explosions and receiving phone alerts about an aerial threat. One witness described seeing a projectile with a yellowish trail followed by an explosion.

The exchange marks a sharp rise in intensity after a week of Houthi missile and drone attacks that had already closed Riyadh’s main airport at times and killed at least 18 people in Saudi Arabia, according to cumulative reports. France and other countries issued fresh travel warnings advising citizens to avoid Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam airports. The coalition has framed its Yemen strikes as targeting infrastructure used for attacks on the kingdom.

Aramco’s Dhahran complex serves as a major administrative and headquarters site. Saudi authorities have not confirmed whether any operational systems were affected beyond the reported limited fire. Bloomberg and other outlets described the target as part of the company’s headquarters area. The company itself has not issued a detailed public statement on the damage.

The fighting sits inside the wider regional pattern that includes Houthi actions against shipping and ongoing tensions involving Iran-backed groups. Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman has previously stated that energy security cannot be taken for granted. The latest strikes bring that claim into immediate focus for both the kingdom’s domestic infrastructure and the broader oil market, although no production losses have been announced.

Riyadh’s civil defence response followed standard procedures for intercepted munitions. The four injuries from falling debris illustrate the residual risk even when interceptors succeed. On the Yemen side, the fuel-depot strike is the latest in a series of coalition actions against sites the Saudis say enable Houthi long-range attacks. Houthi media claimed the coalition hit areas under their control near the Red Sea coast and the northern border as well.

The immediate consequence is continued disruption to air travel and heightened alert levels in major Saudi cities. Longer-term, each successful Houthi reach into Aramco facilities or Riyadh raises the cost of the existing containment strategy for the kingdom. The coalition has not indicated a pause in its strikes. Houthis have not indicated a halt in their launches. The next 48 hours will show whether the current exchange remains at the level of infrastructure targets and intercepted missiles or expands further.