Explosions Rock Riyadh as Houthis Claim Attack on Aramco Building

Several loud explosions were heard in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Sunday morning. Yemen’s Houthis claimed responsibility for targeting Riyadh and eastern Saudi Arabia with ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, while Qatar condemned the attacks.

The Saudi Ministry of Energy said debris from missiles falling on an Aramco office building in Riyadh caused minor damage. No one was killed or injured. A Reuters eyewitness said windows on several floors of the Aramco Tower in the financial centre were shattered, a account confirmed by two other eyewitnesses.

Major General Turki al-Malki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said air defence systems initially destroyed three ballistic missiles and one cruise missile. Two further cruise missiles fired towards Riyadh and southern areas were later intercepted. A ballistic missile launched towards the Eastern Province was also destroyed in the air.

In a statement, the Houthis said four special military operations targeted the financial centre and airport in Riyadh, Aramco oil storage facilities, and the eastern city of Abqaiq. The group claimed that a tall building owned by Aramco was damaged.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry described the attacks as an ‘aggressive act’. It said Qatar strongly rejects any attack on civilians and civilian targets, and called for these operations to be halted immediately.

Before the attacks, civil defence authorities had issued an emergency alert for Riyadh. Later, an alert issued for Dammam, Dhahran, Abqaiq, Hofuf and Al-Ahsa was lifted.