Houthis strike Aramco hours after Saudi-led coalition hits Sanaa oil site

The Houthis have targeted an administrative building belonging to Saudi Arabia’s Aramco in the eastern city of Dhahran, an official at the Ministry of Energy told the Saudi SPA news agency.

Authorities ⁠responded to a fire caused by the attack on Tuesday, ⁠the ministry ⁠said in a statement. No injuries or fatalities were reported.
The attack on the headquarters of Saudi’s national oil company came after Yemen’s Houthis warned all employees and civilians near Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities to evacuate, calling the sites “a legitimate target” earlier on Tuesday.

The warning from the group’s spokesman, Yahya Saree, was prompted by an evacuation order from the Saudi-led coalition urging civilians to evacuate Yemeni Oil Company’s al-Sabah central station in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa.

Saree responded to the coalition’s evacuation order, warning that any strikes on Sanaa would meet a “harsh and painful” reprisal on the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia also intercepted missiles launched by the Houthis towards Riyadh, SPA reported. Four ⁠people ⁠were injured and 15 homes were ⁠damaged by the debris from two intercepted missiles, said the Civil Defense spokesperson, according to SPA.

Attack on Sanaa oil facility
Shortly after the Saudi-led coalition’s evacuation order, Al Jazeera’s team on the ground reported hearing explosions in Sanaa. Media outlets affiliated with the Houthis said air strikes by the Saudi-backed forces struck an oil facility in the al-Sabah area of the capital.
Shortly after the warning, Saree said on Telegram that any Saudi attack on Sanaa would be met with a “firm and painful” response in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

Houthi officials appeared to have anticipated the attack. The oil company said its storage facilities were empty and that a Saudi strike would not affect oil reserves or supplies for residents.

Still, witnesses in the city said lines of cars formed at some gas stations amid fears of a shortage.
“We heard the explosion upon Saudi Arabia targeting the Yemeni oil al-Sabah central station here in the capital Sanaa,” Al Jazeera correspondent Yousef Mawry said.

Saudi Arabia also conducted two other air strike campaigns on the Ras Isa port, targeting Yemeni oil storage tanks and on an oil station in the Houthi-controlled Hodeidah province, according to Mawry.

Saudi-led coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki accused the Houthis of using the facility and its underground fuel depots for their arsenal of missiles and drones.

Following the reported explosions, Saree said Houthi fighters were confronting Saudi-backed forces in Sanaa.

In a statement on X, Saree said the Houthis would target the sites that were ordered to be evacuated if the Saudi-led coalition proceeded with an attack on Sanaa.

Civilians were told on Tuesday to evacuate the Aramco company headquarters in Dhahran, Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and a refinery affiliated with Aramco in Riyadh.

Airport attacks
An attack on Riyadh’s airport on Saturday left at least 13 people dead and more than 300 injured, rocking the world’s top crude oil exporter. Another person was killed, and 11 were wounded on Sunday after a projectile struck the airport in Riyadh.
Many international airlines have since suspended flights to Saudi ⁠⁠Arabia and ⁠⁠neighbouring countries following the deadly weekend attacks by the Houthis, including Air France-KLM, Air India, Etihad, Lufthansa, Delta, Gulf Air and Qatar Airways.

The kingdom, which backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government, was still weathering new attacks on Tuesday, with the coalition saying its forces intercepted three drones north of Riyadh.

Saree also reiterated the Houthis’ warning to airports in Saudi Arabia following recent attacks on multiple airports and oil facilities across the country since last week in a spillover from the wider regional conflict between the US and Iran.

Saudi Arabia’s cabinet, chaired ⁠by Crown Prince ⁠Mohammed bin Salman, said on Tuesday the Houthis would face “consequences” for their attacks across the kingdom, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Dawn of Yemen
Saudi Arabia has in recent ⁠⁠weeks launched strikes against the Houthis and is backing a Yemeni government counteroffensive known as the “Dawn of Yemen” after the group seized strategic territory last month.

Yemeni forces loyal to the internationally recognised government said they launched a series of air strikes on Houthi positions and equipment in the country’s southwest on Tuesday.

A total of nine air strikes were conducted in Taiz governorate, including five in Dhubab district and four in al-Masrakh district, the government said.