Saudi Aramco’s administrative building in Riyadh sustained minor damage from falling debris during an attempted attack, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Energy reported on 8 November. No deaths or injuries were reported.
A Reuters correspondent saw shattered windows on several floors of the Aramco tower in the King Abdullah Financial District. Several sources speaking to AFP stated that the building had been the target of the attack, although the Saudi Arabian authorities attributed the damage to falling debris.
The incident occurred after the Saudi-led military coalition reported that it had intercepted two ballistic missiles fired towards Riyadh by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. The coalition later announced that it had intercepted a further two cruise missiles over Riyadh and southern Saudi Arabia.
Earlier, the Saudi Civil Defence had warned of a threat to the oil-rich Eastern Province, including the cities of Dhahran, Dammam, Abqaiq and Al-Ahsa. The coalition separately reported that it had intercepted a ballistic missile heading for that region.
Saudi Aramco is a Saudi oil company. It was unable to comment on the incident immediately. The Houthis have not yet claimed responsibility for the attack on 8 November. However, the group’s military spokesman, Yahya Sari, had previously announced six operations against Aramco facilities, Riyadh Airport and Saudi Arabian military positions.
This escalation comes against the backdrop of renewed hostilities in Yemen: Saudi Arabia has intensified its air strikes on Houthi positions, whilst the group has stepped up its missile and drone attacks on Saudi infrastructure.
The original version of this article first appeared on Glob-News.com.