Fire Hits Saudi Aramco Headquarters Compound in Houthi Missile Attack, Damage Spreads Across Oil Infrastructure

A fire damaged part of the headquarters compound of Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company, during a missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Bloomberg reported.

Bloomberg reported on October 13 that the fire broke out a day earlier at part of Aramco’s headquarters complex in Dhahran in eastern Saudi Arabia during the missile attack. The blaze was later extinguished, but the extent of the damage was not immediately known. It remains unclear whether the fire was caused by a direct missile strike or by debris that fell during an interception.

The Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen said the Houthis fired missiles at several cities, including the capital Riyadh and Dhahran, where Aramco is based. Debris from missile interceptions also fell in parts of residential areas in Dhahran. Aramco and Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry did not issue an official statement on the fire.

The Houthis have recently continued attacks targeting major cities and airports across Saudi Arabia. The repeated assaults have killed at least 18 people and injured hundreds. Before the latest attack, the Saudi-led coalition had warned residents living near oil facilities in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital controlled by the Houthis, to evacuate for safety.

Saudi Arabia’s key oil infrastructure has also come under repeated attack. A refinery in the western Jazan region has remained shut since an earlier strike, and a key crude export port on the Red Sea coast was also hit. The East-West pipeline, which Aramco has used to ship crude to international markets, was also temporarily halted last month after an attack launched from Iraq.

Dhahran, where Aramco’s headquarters is located, is the center of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry. It sits in the eastern region, home to major oil fields and the Persian Gulf coast. With attacks on oil production and transport facilities continuing, damage reaching Aramco’s headquarters is raising concern that uncertainty over Middle East crude supply chains could deepen.