Aramco skyscraper damaged by debris when Houthis target Riyadh

An Aramco building in Riyadh was targeted in an attempted attack, the Saudi energy ministry said Sunday, with eyewitnesses reporting damage to the skyscraper after the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted missiles launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels.

The group has repeatedly struck Aramco facilities and infrastructure in recent months, targeting tankers, refineries, storage areas and company headquarters.

"Aramco tower in KAFD has been targeted," an eyewitness said, referring to the King Abdullah Financial District. Two other witnesses confirmed damage to the building.

A 2022 truce that paused fighting in Yemen's long-running conflict fell apart in July. Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have since clashed, with the group striking Saudi airports, energy infrastructure and military sites.

The Iran-backed Houthis seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014. The Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict a year later in support of the government.

An eyewitness near the Aramco skyscraper told Agence France-Presse (AFP) they saw a projectile strike the building but were unsure of its type.

The King Abdullah Financial District is one of the most visible manifestations of the kingdom's ongoing economic and social reform drive, featuring towering glass skyscrapers, high-end retail outlets and green spaces.

It is home to some of the kingdom's biggest domestic companies and international blue-chip firms such as Goldman Sachs.

The headquarters of the kingdom's influential sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund and the Saudi stock exchange are also located in the heart of the district.

Targeting the area, which is also home to residences and a large metro station with heavy morning rush hour traffic, would mark a major escalation in the kingdom's fight with the Houthis.

Another witness said multiple floors of the Aramco tower appeared damaged, with shattered glass and visible damage to the facade.

The Energy Ministry said in a statement that "an administrative building belonging to Saudi Aramco in Riyadh was subjected to an attempted attack today."

"The incident resulted in falling shrapnel that caused minor damage to the building, with no injuries or fatalities reported," it added.

The attack occurred hours after the kingdom's Education Ministry announced late Saturday the return of in-person classes after weeks of remote learning in Riyadh following an earlier wave of strikes.

Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki said Sunday in a social media post that "air defenses intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi terrorist militia towards Riyadh." Loud explosions were heard in the Saudi capital.

The kingdom has been pressing allies for help as it faces daily attacks from the Houthis, who recently seized swaths of Red Sea coastline from the Riyadh-backed government.

Thousands of Syrian troops were reported to deploy to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, multiple Yemeni officials told AFP, a claim dismissed by Syrian officials.

The United Nations says more than 1,600 people have been killed and more than 300,000 displaced since fighting resumed in Yemen.

The 2022 truce fell apart after the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, in defiance of Saudi control over Yemeni airspace, which set off a spate of attacks.

Later, the Houthis declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, striking its ships, territory and oil facilities and then seized Yemen's entire Red Sea coast in a swift campaign.