Saudi Arabia and Houthis Exchange Attacks as Conflict Escalates

Saudi Arabia and Houthi forces exchanged attacks and threats on Tuesday, with explosions reported in Riyadh and near Saudi Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran as the conflict escalated. Saudi officials said air defences intercepted missiles and drones, while accounts of damage at the Dhahran site were not consistent enough to establish how it was affected. A Saudi energy ministry official said a strike hit an Aramco administrative building in Dhahran, causing a limited fire but no casualties there. Separately, six people interviewed by Reuters reported hearing booms near the company’s headquarters. One source described as having direct knowledge said the headquarters had been struck, but whether the building was hit directly or by falling debris was unclear. Aramco had not issued an official comment in the cited accounts. Saudi authorities said debris from intercepted missiles injured four people in Riyadh and damaged at least 15 homes. That account came from Saudi Civil Defence and was not corroborated by the other reports.