Riyadh, November 8. An administrative building of the oil company Saudi Aramco in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District suffered limited damage: debris fell on it as a missile attack was repelled, and there were no casualties, a Saudi Energy Ministry official said.
On Sunday morning the country’s civil defence warned of danger in Riyadh and Najran province, after which loud explosions were heard in the capital. Several witnesses told the AFP agency the financial district was hit and the Aramco tower damaged: one confirmed the strike, while two others saw damage to the building, the outlet writes. The Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted missiles launched by the Houthis, the agency report says.
On Saturday, November 7, the coalition said it had intercepted a Houthi missile heading for Riyadh province. Houthi authorities said the same day that coalition strikes on Sanaa province had killed 33 people, the agency reported. It is not the first strike on an Aramco building in recent weeks: on the evening of October 13 an administrative building of the company in Dhahran, in the east of the country, came under attack and a limited fire broke out, the Energy Ministry said. According to a company source, a ballistic missile hit the building; debris from intercepted missiles injured four people in Riyadh and damaged 15 homes in the same days.
What it means: In 26 days this is the second report of damage to an administrative building of Saudi Aramco: on October 13 in Dhahran, on November 8 in Riyadh. By official figures the damage in Riyadh is limited: debris, no casualties; witnesses, however, speak of a hit on the tower.
What we know now: There are no casualties and the damage is limited. The Energy Ministry calls the incident an attempted attack, the coalition an interception of Houthi missiles. Reports do not mention any admission of responsibility by the Houthis themselves.
Background: Saudi Aramco is Saudi Arabia’s state oil company; the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) is a business quarter of Riyadh with towers of companies and banks. The Houthis are a Yemeni movement fighting the Saudi-led coalition.
