Saudi Energy Ministry Reports Fire at Aramco Building After Coalition Confirms Strikes on Houthi Fuel Sites

Since the Houthi missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, Oct. 10, which killed 13 people and wounded about 300, the Saudi-led coalition has confirmed a wave of strikes on Houthi fuel infrastructure, and Saudi Arabia has reported damage at an Aramco building in return.

Coalition confirms the fuel-site strikes

Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said on X that the operation hit the Al-Sabaha central station in Sanaa, underground fuel reserves and tanks, and energy terminals in Hodeidah, Sanaa and Dhamar. He said the Houthis use the sites to supply the missiles and drones they fire at Saudi Arabia and Red Sea shipping.

Al-Maliki said the strikes complied with international humanitarian law and that precautions were taken to avoid civilian harm. The coalition urged the Houthis to stop attacking airports, seaports and oil installations.

CBS News reported that strikes also hit Saada province. Separately, the Guardian reported that the Ras Isa port in Hodeidah was hit in 10 waves, and that an earlier strike targeted what the coalition believes was a Houthi leadership hideout in the Bani Mu'in area of Saada's Razih district.

The Yemeni Oil Company said its storage facilities at Al-Sabaha were empty when the site was hit, according to the Guardian. Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV described the strike as "Saudi aggression" against the oil firm. The Houthis had not responded to the coalition's statement as of the latest reports.

Aramco fire and Dhahran interceptions

The coalition said it intercepted three missiles and two drones fired toward Riyadh and Dhahran, home of Aramco's headquarters. It said fragments from one interception fell on a residential area.

The Saudi Ministry of Energy said a limited fire broke out in an administrative building at an Aramco facility in the Eastern Province. The ministry said no injuries were reported.

Sources told Reuters that loud booms were heard in Dhahran and that an evacuation order was issued for the headquarters building. One source said the building was on fire. A source with direct knowledge told Reuters it was unclear whether the building took a direct hit or was struck by falling debris. Another source said Aramco employees were told to work from home on Wednesday. Aramco has made no official comment.

The Houthi position

The Houthis frame the attacks as retaliation for Saudi aggression. Political bureau member Mohammed Al Bukhaiti told AFP the strikes were meant to warn Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman "that he can no longer wage aggression against Yemen from a safe position."

Bukhaiti also told AFP that if the U.S. joins Saudi strikes, "there will be a swift and painful response targeting the US and all its interests in the region." He warned employees at Saudi oil facilities and airports to stay away, calling them "legitimate targets." A Houthi spokesman issued a similar warning to anyone near Aramco facilities in Riyadh.

President Trump, speaking at the White House on Monday, called the airport attack "not acceptable" and said the Houthis are "misbehaving very badly." He confirmed he had spoken with the crown prince. No U.S. strike on Houthi targets has been announced. The Saudi cabinet, chaired by the crown prince, said the Houthis will face "consequences."

Air defense strain and travel limits

Baraa Shiban, a Yemen specialist at the Royal United Services Institute, said Saudi Arabia "is struggling to respond to the Houthi's improved arms technology." He said the Houthis have learned to fly smaller, lower drones that are harder to detect.

The State Department on Tuesday ordered U.S. government employees to get special authorization from a chief of mission to use any Saudi airport. They are also barred from traveling within 20 miles of the Yemen border and need authorization to visit Jizan, Asir, Najran, Qatif, Yanbu and Taif. King Khalid airport is suspended through Oct. 17. Jeddah and Dammam airports are operating with delays and cancellations, the State Department said.

An Emirati newspaper, The National, reported that Riyadh has moved schools online and some employers have allowed remote work, though traffic during rush hour looked relatively normal.

Oil and shipping

Brent crude closed Monday at $106.65, its highest since Sept. 15, then slipped 61 cents to $106.04 in early Asian trading on Tuesday, per Reuters. U.S. West Texas Intermediate stood at $93.27. Investors are weighing the Saudi supply threat against a potential flow of Russian diesel under an arrangement between Trump and Russia and a temporary U.S. sanctions waiver.

Separately, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said a tanker and a container ship were hit by projectiles of unknown origin in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. An investigation is underway.

Two questions remain open. Aramco has not said whether its Dhahran headquarters took a direct hit. And Riyadh's main airport is due to stay closed until at least Saturday, Oct. 17, with the Houthis' threats against Saudi oil sites and U.S. interests still standing.