Houthis Launch Missile at Saudi Aramco HQ; Saudi Strikes Yemeni Oil Infrastructure

Yemen's Houthi militants fired a ballistic missile at Saudi Aramco's headquarters in Dhahran on Tuesday evening, striking an administrative building and igniting a fire in its upper floors, according to multiple sources. The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted the missile, with fragments falling on a nearby residential area. Saudi Arabia's energy ministry confirmed the attack caused a small fire but reported no deaths. An evacuation order had been issued for the building ahead of the strike.

In response, Saudi Arabia conducted a series of strikes on Houthi-controlled oil infrastructure in Yemen, including the Central Sabaha Station oil depot on the outskirts of Sana'a and storage facilities at Ras Isa port in Hodeidah. The coalition said the Yemeni Oil Company's storage tanks at the targeted facilities were empty at the time of the strikes. Saudi officials also struck what they believed to be a Houthi leadership hideout in the Razih border district of northern Yemen. The offensive was framed as an effort to degrade Houthi capabilities and reduce threats to Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and international shipping routes.

The escalation follows a deadly Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday that killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300, prompting multiple international airlines to suspend flights to Saudi Arabia. The airport remained closed through at least Saturday of the following week. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree warned that any further Saudi strikes on Sana'a would trigger a "harsh and painful" response targeting Riyadh, specifically naming Saudi Aramco facilities and a refinery as potential targets.

Houthi militants have intensified attacks over the past week using ballistic missiles and drones against Saudi oil facilities and airports. The group attributed the attacks to retaliation for Saudi military support of Yemen's government forces in the resumed civil conflict. A Saudi defense official noted that the Houthis have improved their military technology, deploying lower-flying, smaller drones that are harder to detect, though Saudi air defenses have largely remained effective.

Saudi Arabia's cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, warned that the Houthis would face "consequences" for their repeated attacks. U.S. President Donald Trump stated the Houthis were "behaving very badly" and suggested he might ask Turkey's president to intervene in support of Saudi interests, though he did not announce new military action. The conflict has escalated following Houthi seizures of strategic territory along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical waterway for Gulf oil and international commerce.