Houthis Claim Strike on Saudi Aramco Headquarters as Riyadh Reports Fire, No Injuries

Since the Saudi-Houthi conflict reignited this summer and intensified last month after years of relative calm, the fighting has moved steadily closer to the kingdom's economic core. This week it reached Aramco's front door.

The Houthis fired another wave of missiles and drones at Saudi targets overnight Tuesday into Wednesday. The group claimed responsibility for an attack on the headquarters of Saudi Aramco, the state oil company, in Dhahran.

What hit Dhahran

Saudi officials said an Aramco administrative building in Dhahran was targeted and that a fire broke out on its upper floors, according to the Saudi energy ministry. Saudi officials said the top three floors were damaged, including offices used by CEO Amin Nasser and other senior executives. The building also houses an operations center for Aramco's drilling and shipping network.

What exactly struck it is not settled. The coalition said it intercepted a Houthi missile aimed at Dhahran, and Saudi authorities have not said whether the building took a direct hit or was damaged by debris from intercepted missiles. They described the fire as limited. No injuries were reported. Aramco had not commented when CNN reached out.

Sources in Saudi Arabia told Reuters the building has not been abandoned, though some functions have moved to other offices and some employees were told to work from home.

Riyadh and the American base

The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed three cruise missiles and two drones aimed at the Riyadh region and southern Saudi Arabia. Falling debris injured at least four people, according to Saudi authorities.

The coalition also reported stopping missiles and drones headed for al-Kharj, home to Prince Sultan Air Base. Saudi and American forces both use the base. An Iranian missile attack on it in March injured several U.S. service members.

The Houthis said they hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with a "precise and direct" strike. CNN could not independently verify the claim, and Saudi authorities did not immediately comment. The attack follows a week of deadly Houthi missile and drone strikes that shut Riyadh's main international airport.

The Houthi position

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree called the Tuesday night strikes a "harsh and painful" response to Saudi airstrikes in Yemen. "Operations towards Saudi depths will continue in the coming days, targeting Saudi enemy airports and oil facilities," he said. The group also warned international shipping companies and personnel at those sites to stay away, calling them "legitimate targets."

The Saudi strike the Houthis point to hit a fuel depot near Sanaa on Tuesday. The coalition said the depot supported Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and energy facilities and on Red Sea shipping, and that it warned civilians to leave beforehand. The Houthi-controlled Yemen Oil Company said the facility held no petroleum products and that the strike would not affect fuel supplies. The Houthis said two civilians were killed and two injured.

A ceasefire offer with conditions

Senior Houthi official Mohamed al-Bukhaiti told the Associated Press the group would discuss a ceasefire, possibly with Oman mediating. His terms: Saudi forces withdraw from Yemen and Riyadh stops applying economic pressure on the Houthi movement.

"We're ready for a comprehensive end of the war and the blockade from both sides, not just a temporary ceasefire," Bukhaiti said.

The Yemeni government, meanwhile, said it was not seeking negotiations or a ceasefire with the Houthis and would press ahead with its "Dawn of Yemen" offensive.

Ahmed Nagi, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, told the AP that both sides are running similar playbooks. "The Houthis are betting on pressure, while the Saudis are betting on time," he said. In his assessment, the Houthis are hitting critical Saudi infrastructure to raise the cost of the kingdom's continued military involvement and its support for the Yemeni government.

The Houthis are an Iran-backed force, and they are now openly targeting the corporate nerve center of the world's largest crude oil producer, along with an airport and an air base that U.S. troops use. Striking Aramco threatens the backbone of the kingdom's economy and a critical source of global energy supplies.

The immediate open questions are concrete. Whether the Dhahran building took a direct hit remains unsettled. The Houthis say more strikes are coming within days. Whether Oman gets a formal role as mediator is unresolved, and so is whether Riyadh will entertain a deal that begins with pulling its forces out of Yemen.