Loud explosions were heard Tuesday night in Dhahran, near the headquarters of Saudi Aramco, the world's largest state-owned oil company, amid an escalating conflict between Yemen's Iran-allied Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition, according to six sources speaking to Reuters.
While Saudi Aramco has not issued an official comment, a source with direct knowledge of the situation indicated that the company's headquarters had been impacted. It remains unclear whether the building sustained a direct hit or was affected by falling debris from an intercepted missile. Another source reported that the Aramco headquarters was on fire in Dhahran, the hub of Saudi Arabia's oil industry in the Eastern Province, and that an evacuation order had been issued for the building, according to four sources.
The Saudi-led coalition announced that fragments from a missile it intercepted and destroyed over Dhahran had fallen onto a residential area. Additionally, authorities reported that drones and missiles were intercepted and neutralized in the capital, Riyadh, and the country's southern region.
The Houthis have been launching ballistic missiles and drones at key Saudi sites for the past week, in retaliation for Riyadh's support of government forces against the Houthi movement in Yemen's renewed civil war. The Riyadh international airport has been targeted four times, including an attack on Saturday that resulted in 13 fatalities.
The Houthi-run Al-Masirah television reported that the Saudi-led coalition had struck the Yemen Petroleum Company's Sabah central station, a fuel depot located on the outskirts of Sanaa. Earlier, the Houthis had stated that Saudi Arabia was attacking the Yemeni capital, and the Saudi-led coalition had issued a warning for civilians to avoid an oil depot near the city.
