Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said Sunday that an administrative building belonging to Saudi Aramco in the capital Riyadh sustained limited damage from falling shrapnel after an attempted attack. The ministry confirmed that no injuries or deaths were reported.
A Reuters witness said windows on several floors of the Aramco Tower, one of the tallest buildings in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District, were shattered. Loud explosions were heard across the city after Saudi Civil Defense issued an early warning of a potential threat, before later declaring that the danger had passed.
The Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed two cruise missiles launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh and the kingdom’s southern region. Aramco did not immediately comment, and the Houthis also issued no immediate statement on the attack.
Coalition spokesman Brig. Gen. Turki al-Malki said air defenses initially intercepted two ballistic missiles launched toward Riyadh, before later intercepting two cruise missiles targeting the capital and the kingdom’s southern region.
Footage circulating on social media shows the tower’s facade after the incident, with shattered windows visible on several floors and water pouring from the damaged levels after Civil Defense teams intervened.
In a written statement, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed that the group had carried out four operations using ballistic and cruise missiles and drones. He said one of them targeted the financial district and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, while Saudi authorities reported only limited shrapnel damage and no injuries.
Saudi state broadcaster Al Ekhbariya reported that the Houthis had launched 1,147 ballistic missiles at the kingdom and carried out 1,191 drone attacks over the past 10 years.
Earlier in the day, Civil Defense issued warnings and later lifted them at several locations in the oil-rich Eastern Province, including Dhahran, home to Aramco’s headquarters, which sustained extensive damage in an attack last October. An attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on October 10 killed 13 people and injured more than 300, according to Saudi authorities.
The Houthis have escalated missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities since fighting resumed in July, while Saudi Arabia has carried out strikes against the group’s targets in Yemen. The latest escalation came a day after the Houthi-run Health Ministry said at least 33 people had been killed in Saudi strikes near Sanaa, while Saudi authorities said they were investigating the matter.
