Houthi missile hits Aramco office tower in Riyadh
Saudi defenses report intercepting two ballistic missiles while witnesses confirm impact damage to an administrative building in the capital's financial district.
By Scott Marshall ·
Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh came under missile fire on Sunday, resulting in a strike to a multi-story building owned by the state oil company Aramco.
The impact occurred in the King Abdullah Financial District shortly after Saudi Civil Defense issued an early-warning alert regarding a potential threat to the city. Multiple loud booms were heard across the capital in the early hours of the day. Geolocated video shared on social media shows visible damage to the upper floors of the Aramco structure.
An official statement from the Saudi Energy Ministry, released via the state news agency, described the incident as an attempted attack on an administrative building. The ministry reported that falling shrapnel caused minor damage to the structure. Officials stated that no injuries or fatalities were reported as a result of the strike.
One witness contradicted the official account of zero injuries by stating that ambulances were seen heading toward the affected area. The Saudi Information Ministry has been contacted for further clarification on the casualty count but had not responded at the time of reporting.
The Saudi-led coalition announced that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed two cruise missiles over Riyadh and the southern region. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki posted on X that defenses also intercepted two ballistic missiles launched toward Riyadh by what he called the Houthi militia.
The Houthi movement has not yet claimed responsibility for the specific strike on the Aramco building. The group has fired missiles and drones at various targets across Saudi Arabia over the past three months. This attack followed a day in which Yemen's Houthi-run health ministry reported that Saudi airstrikes killed at least 33 people near Sanaa, including women and children.
In late October, a missile strike on Riyadh's international airport killed 13 people, with additional deaths occurring in subsequent strikes on the same site. The Houthis have stated they will continue launching projectiles at Saudi Arabia as long as the kingdom maintains airstrikes in Houthi-controlled Yemen and enforces a blockade of the territory.
