In a significant escalation of hostilities, the Houthi movement has launched a series of attacks deep inside Saudi Arabia, targeting the capital Riyadh's financial district, including a strike on the iconic Aramco Tower. The tower, a prominent skyscraper in the heart of the city's business hub, was hit in what the group described as an air attack on Saturday.
The Houthi-controlled Saba news agency confirmed the operation, stating that the group had targeted Riyadh's business zone, though it did not specifically name the Aramco Tower. Saudi Arabia's energy ministry reported that the tower sustained only "minor damage" and that no casualties were recorded.
However, footage verified by BBC Verify indicates more extensive damage, with at least one floor appearing to have been severely impacted by a missile or drone strike. Windows across multiple levels were shattered, suggesting a powerful blast.
The Houthis also claimed responsibility for strikes on Riyadh's airport and Aramco's oil storage facilities. Saudi authorities said their air defenses intercepted and destroyed several missiles, preventing further damage.
These attacks mark the latest in a series of Houthi operations against Saudi targets, which the kingdom has struggled to counter in recent months. The strikes came just a day after the Houthis accused the Saudi-led coalition of killing at least 33 people, including women and children, in an airstrike on Yemen.
Footage from the Houthi-run Al Masirah television channel showed rescue workers recovering bodies from the rubble of several buildings in al-Shariyah, a town east of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. Saba reported that 39 people were injured in that strike. Saudi Arabia has not commented on the allegation.
The Saudi-led coalition has been engaged in a protracted conflict with the Houthis for over a decade, supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government, which has lost control of large parts of the country to the rebel group. Although the conflict had largely been dormant in recent years, fighting has intensified following the outbreak of the Iran war.
An informal ceasefire collapsed in July after the Tehran-backed Houthis announced a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia and began missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities, and tankers in the Red Sea. The Houthis claimed they were retaliating for what they called a Saudi blockade of their territory, as well as an airstrike on Sanaa airport that Saudi Arabia said was intended to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing.
Major fighting has since resumed between Houthi forces and troops aligned with Yemen's Saudi-backed government. The United Nations reports that more than 1,600 people have been killed and over 300,000 displaced since the fighting restarted.
In a related development, two people were killed in a Houthi attack on an airport in eastern Saudi Arabia, according to authorities. The United States has ordered some diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks escalate. Meanwhile, a Houthi missile struck an Aramco building following a Saudi-led coalition strike on a fuel depot in Yemen.
The situation remains tense as the region braces for further escalation.
