Houthis Claim Missile, Drone Attack on Aramco Facility

Yemen’s Houthi movement has claimed responsibility for an attack on a Saudi Aramco facility near the Saudi capital Riyadh, saying it used ballistic missiles and drones.

The claim came on Saturday, October 3, amid escalating hostilities between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. A large plume of smoke and flames was seen near an Aramco facility south of Riyadh, and firefighters were reported to have worked to put out the blaze. However, Saudi authorities and Aramco had not immediately confirmed that the facility had been attacked or stated what caused the fire.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group targeted the facility in response to Saudi strikes on Sanaa and other areas of Yemen.

Saree also claimed that Saudi forces had carried out around 60 airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas over the previous 24 hours. Those figures were claims by the Houthi movement and were not independently verified.

The latest incident comes as fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis has intensified, with the group increasing attacks on Saudi cities and energy infrastructure. Saudi Arabia has also reported intercepting Houthi missiles and drones in recent days.

The Houthis had previously claimed attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu using missiles and drones. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted six ballistic missiles targeting the Taif and Yanbu areas at the time, without reporting damage to Aramco facilities.