Houthi Missile Hits Aramco's Dhahran Headquarters as Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Rebels Trade Strikes
A fire broke out in the oil giant's headquarters compound overnight, Saudi officials said no one was hurt, and the Houthis say more attacks on Saudi airports and energy sites will follow.
Thursday, October 15, 2026/3 min read
The headquarters of the world's biggest oil exporter has been hit. A fire broke out at Saudi Aramco's complex in Dhahran overnight on Tuesday after a Houthi attack, and while Saudi officials say nobody was hurt, the strike marks a sharp step in a fortnight of attacks on the kingdom's airports and energy sites.
A Saudi energy ministry official described a "limited fire" with no casualties at an Aramco building on Tuesday night. Two regional officials told the Associated Press that the top three floors were damaged, including offices used by the chief executive and other senior officials, per AP's report in The Korea Times. Aramco did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
What do we know about the attack on Aramco's headquarters?
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said forces carried out "a high-quality military operation targeting Aramco in Dhahran," and that missiles and drones also hit Riyadh's airport and a refinery in the capital, according to AFP. He said the operations would continue against Saudi airports and oil facilities. The group called the attacks retaliation for Saudi aggression on Sanaa.
The damage is not independently confirmed. Two Aramco employees told AFP that a tower was hit and that its top three floors were destroyed, which AFP could not verify. The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted two drones, four cruise missiles and one ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh, as well as a ballistic missile aimed at Dhahran and a cruise missile aimed at Al-Kharj. One person was injured in Riyadh by debris from an intercepted strike, Saudi civil defense said.
The Dhahran complex is the company's historic core. Aramco moved its headquarters there from New York in 1952, and the kingdom's first commercial oil was found nearby in 1938, per The National. It covers 58 square kilometres, with a residential area home to a reported 11,000 people, and includes a research centre and the Ithra cultural centre.
What is Saudi Arabia doing in response?
The coalition said Tuesday's strikes hit oil sites across western Yemen, and had earlier warned people near an oil site in Houthi-held Sanaa to leave. The Houthi health ministry reported two dead in Yemen on Tuesday and blamed Saudi Arabia. The Saudi cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said the kingdom would not allow its security or freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait to be threatened.
The wave of attacks has reached ordinary life. At least 18 people have died, including the 13 killed in the strike on Riyadh's airport that we covered in our earlier report. More than 3,000 departures from Saudi airports have been cancelled or listed as not operating in the past week, per Cirium. Schools have moved online, three Saudi Pro League fixtures were postponed and the Six Kings Slam tennis event was moved to December.
What does it mean for oil?
Aramco chief executive Amin Nasser said earlier this month that the company's system was intact and that it could make its 12 million barrels-per-day maximum sustainable capacity available within days. The company reports third-quarter results on 3 November. Brent crude was trading near $106 a barrel on Wednesday, per AP's market report.
What the attack did to operations beyond the offices, and whether the Houthis can hit production sites, is the thing markets will watch. Aramco has not said more yet.
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