Reported Houthi Strike Hits Aramco HQ

A fire broke out in an Aramco administrative building at the Dhahran complex on the night of Oct. 13. The Saudi Energy Ministry said the fire was limited and caused no injuries. Aramco employees were told to work from home Wednesday. Debris from two intercepted Houthi cruise missiles wounded four people in Riyadh and damaged 15 homes after alerts for the capital and Eastern Province. In the same period the Saudi-led coalition hit Houthi-held Sanaa, including the Subaha fuel facility, after warning residents near the Yemeni Oil Company site to leave; the Houthi-run company said its storage facilities were empty and lines formed at Sanaa gas stations. CONTESTED: The ministry described a limited fire with no injuries; an Aramco source told Reuters one ballistic missile struck and damaged the top three floors. Saudi authorities did not name the attacker; reporting tied the strike to Houthi launches after a military alert on missiles bound for the Eastern Province. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said any Saudi attack on Sanaa would meet a "firm and painful" response in Riyadh. The exchange follows a Saturday attack on Riyadh's airport that killed at least 13 and wounded over 300, and Houthi seizure of areas along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait last month. Saudi Cabinet said the Kingdom will not allow any threat to its security or to freedom of maritime navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait. Analyst Adam Baron said the Sanaa warning and strike may be a warning—or a sign of things to come.