Saudi Arabia Intercepts Houthi Missiles as Shrapnel Hits Aramco Tower in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia said its air defenses intercepted Houthi missiles aimed at Riyadh and other parts of the kingdom on Sunday, but falling debris damaged an administrative building belonging to the state oil giant Aramco in the capital's financial district. The Energy Ministry said no one was hurt, according to Saudi state media cited by Al Jazeera.

The strike attempt is the latest in a widening campaign by the Iran-aligned Houthis against Saudi airports and energy sites, which has intensified since a truce in Yemen's war collapsed in July.

What Saudi Arabia and witnesses say happened in Riyadh

A senior Energy Ministry source told Saudi state media that the building was hit by “falling shrapnel” after an attempted attack. The ministry described the damage as minor, according to the Associated Press. Several news agencies reported that the affected structure was an Aramco tower in the King Abdullah Financial District.

Witnesses in Riyadh gave a different impression. They told the AP they heard a loud explosion in the morning and saw damage across several floors of the building, with some floors appearing heavily damaged. They spoke anonymously because of security concerns. Aramco and the Saudi Center for International Communication did not immediately respond to the AP's request for comment.

Reports differ on the weapons involved. Al Jazeera said the Saudi-led coalition's spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, reported that several ballistic missiles were destroyed: two fired toward Riyadh and one toward the Eastern province. He also said two more missiles were intercepted in the southern region, along with a Houthi drone. The AP, citing the coalition, reported two ballistic and two cruise missiles aimed at Riyadh and other regions, plus a separate ballistic missile overnight aimed at the south.

How the conflict reached this point

• July: The ceasefire that had held since 2022 collapsed after the Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi ports, according to the United Nations as cited by Al Jazeera.
• September: The Houthis seized much of Yemen's Red Sea coast in a rapid offensive.
• October: Yemeni government forces launched the Dawn of Yemen operation, aimed at retaking Houthi-held territory, including the capital, Sanaa.
• Oct. 10: A Houthi strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300, Al Jazeera reported.
• Friday: An attack on a market in Taiz province killed 30 people. The Houthis blamed Saudi air strikes, while Yemeni government forces said the Houthis fired a ballistic missile at the site.
• Saturday: Houthi officials said Saudi-led coalition strikes on the village of al-Shariyah, near Sanaa, killed people and wounded dozens. The Houthi-run Health Ministry put the toll at 33 dead, including eight women and 13 children, with at least 39 wounded. The AP reported Houthi officials saying at least 27 were killed. Al Jazeera could not verify the figures, and the coalition had not commented.
• Sunday: Saudi air defenses intercepted the missiles and the Aramco building was damaged.

Why it matters: civilians and infrastructure on both sides

The Houthis have struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, the Ras Tanura and Rabigh oil refineries, other airports and Aramco facilities, according to Al Jazeera. Those are sites that civilians and workers use every day, and the Oct. 10 airport strike showed the human toll when an attack gets through.

Inside Yemen, the cost is also heavy. The United Nations says more than 1,600 people have been killed and almost 300,000 displaced since the ceasefire collapsed. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed the coalition carried out 105 air strikes and missile attacks over 24 hours on Sanaa and seven other governorates, bringing the total since the escalation began to 4,369. That figure is a Houthi claim and was not independently verified.

Houthi-affiliated media also reported artillery shelling of parts of the Saada border district in Saada province on Sunday.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by Al Jazeera, ABC News