N環球 
Houthi missile strikes Saudi Aramco headquarters in Dhahran; limited fire, no casualties
On the evening of October 13 local time, a Houthi ballistic missile hit an office tower at Saudi Aramco's headquarters in Dhahran, setting it ablaze and damaging its top three floors. The Saudi Energy Ministry confirmed a 'limited fire' on October 14 with no casualties. Debris in Riyadh injured 4 people and damaged 15 homes.
Why it matters
This is the first direct hit on Saudi Aramco's headquarters, marking a sharp escalation in the Saudi–Houthi conflict spilling over from Yemen's civil war. Aramco is the world's largest oil company and the backbone of the Saudi economy; Brent crude has traded at or above $100 a barrel for more than a month, adding new uncertainty to energy security.
Full report
A ballistic missile directly struck an office tower at Saudi Aramco's headquarters complex in the eastern city of Dhahran on the evening of October 13 local time, damaging its top three floors and setting the building on fire, a company source told Reuters; two other people with knowledge of the matter confirmed the fire, and six sources said they heard loud booms near the complex. The Saudi Energy Ministry said in a statement on October 14 that an administrative building at the headquarters had been attacked, triggering a 'limited fire', with authorities responding late Tuesday and no injuries or deaths. Saudi Aramco itself has not publicly commented.
The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a missile over Dhahran, with fragments falling on a residential area, and also intercepted and destroyed missiles and drones targeting Riyadh and the kingdom's southern region. Saudi civil defense said on October 14 that debris from two intercepted Houthi missiles in Riyadh injured four people, including two women, a man and a child, and caused limited damage to 15 homes.
The attack caps a week of Houthi ballistic missile and drone strikes on key Saudi targets in retaliation for Riyadh's backing of government forces in Yemen's reignited civil war. Riyadh's international airport has been hit four times in a week; Saturday's strike killed 13 people, the deadliest in Saudi Arabia in a decade. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree had threatened a 'harsh and painful' response to Saudi-led strikes on Sanaa, naming the Aramco headquarters in Dhahran and an oil refinery in Riyadh as possible targets and warning oil workers to stay away from sites that could be hit.
Hours before the strike, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told the WPC Energy Congress that the kingdom's energy supply remains resilient and that Riyadh is the 'capital of energy security.' The Saudi cabinet had earlier warned the Houthis would 'bear the consequences' of repeated 'heinous attacks' on airports and civilian and economic sites.
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