Yemen’s Houthi rebel group carried out a missile and drone strike on the headquarters of Saudi Aramco in Dhahran on October 13, causing extensive damage to multiple floors of the company’s Tower Administration Building. The attack, which resulted in a fire affecting floors six through ten, including the office of Aramco’s chief executive Amin Nasser, caused no reported injuries or fatalities. Despite the damage, sources indicated that Aramco’s operations continued without disruption, with some employees working remotely and certain functions temporarily shifted to overseas offices.

The Houthis described the facility, which houses key departments such as Oil Supply Planning and Scheduling alongside executive, finance, and legal teams, as a legitimate target in retaliation for Saudi coalition strikes on Yemen. The group’s military spokesperson, Brigadier General Yahya Sare’e, stated that recent assaults targeted not only the Aramco site in Dhahran but also Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and an Aramco refinery in Riyadh. He warned that future attacks on airports and energy infrastructure within Saudi Arabia’s interior would continue.

Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry confirmed the attack and described the resulting fire as limited. Meanwhile, Major General Turki al-Maliki, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, said ballistic missiles launched toward the cities of Haradh and Dhahran were intercepted, though missile debris fell into a residential area near Dhahran. Another missile targeting Riyadh was also intercepted, with fragment impacts injuring four civilians and causing minor damage to around 15 homes in the capital, according to the Saudi Civil Defence.

The strikes coincided with the World Petroleum Congress in Riyadh, a major energy industry event, prompting executives from several leading oil companies—including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP, and TotalEnergies—to withdraw due to security concerns. The heightened tensions come amid ongoing conflict in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia has intervened since 2015 to support the internationally recognized government after the Houthis seized control of the capital, Sana’a.

The Saudi-led coalition also reported its own military action on October 13, targeting a fuel depot operated by the Yemen Petroleum Company on the outskirts of Sana’a. The coalition accused the Houthis of using civilian facilities for military purposes and warned civilians to evacuate the area ahead of further strikes.

This renewed escalation follows the collapse of a 2022 truce between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. The truce deteriorated amid increasing regional tensions linked to broader US-Iran hostilities. The recent Houthi attacks on Saudi territory, including the deadly October 10 missile strike on Riyadh’s airport that killed 13 people, represent the most significant escalation in nearly a decade.

Saudi authorities have vowed consequences for the repeated attacks targeting the kingdom’s critical infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Houthis have pledged to maintain their campaign, asserting that their actions are a response to ongoing Saudi military operations in Yemen, which resumed with increased intensity following the group’s advances near vital maritime routes such as the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The conflict continues to pose challenges to regional stability and complicates efforts to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy.