Missile Attack Damages Saudi Aramco Building in Riyadh

Falling debris from intercepted missiles struck an administrative building in the Saudi capital, causing limited damage and no casualties. Yemen’s Houthi authorities separately reported 33 deaths in coalition airstrikes

Falling debris from intercepted missiles damaged a Saudi Aramco administrative building in Riyadh, bringing the Saudi capital’s financial district into the widening confrontation involving Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry confirmed damage to the structure in the King Abdullah Financial District, but said it was limited. No deaths or injuries were reported.

The incident followed an announcement by the Saudi-led coalition that it had intercepted missiles launched by the Houthis. Local sources cited by Agence France-Presse said the attack had affected Riyadh’s financial district. One witness told AFP that the Aramco Tower in the district had been targeted. Two other witnesses also reported seeing damage to the building.

Earlier accounts cited by Reuters and carried by several Israeli media outlets said windows had been shattered on multiple floors of the tower, one of the tallest buildings in the financial district. The Energy Ministry’s statement, however, described the damage as limited.

Saudi Aramco, the kingdom’s state-owned oil company, is one of the world’s largest energy and chemicals groups. The damage to its administrative facilities marks a direct impact on a major Saudi corporate site in the capital, although authorities reported no casualties.

In Yemen, meanwhile, Houthi officials said Saudi-led coalition strikes in Sana’a province had killed 33 people and wounded another 39. The attacks reportedly hit the village of Al-Shariya, east of the Yemeni capital, according to Anees Alasbahi, spokesman for the Health Ministry run by the Houthi authorities.

In a statement posted on X, Alasbahi said the preliminary death toll included 12 men, eight women and 13 children. Among the wounded, he reported, were 16 men, 10 women and 13 children.

The Houthi news agency Saba said rescue operations were continuing beneath the rubble. It also accused coalition aircraft of carrying out two strikes against rescue workers. The casualty figures and allegations were reported by Houthi authorities and have not been independently verified.

The United Nations says more than 1,600 people have been killed and over 300,000 displaced since fighting resumed in Yemen.

(Photo: © AndKronos)