Economy & Energy
Saudi Aramco evacuates its Dhahran headquarters – Houthis say they hit the defence ministry in Riyadh and facilities at Yanbu
Reuters reports that Saudi Aramco told staff to evacuate its headquarters in Dhahran and work remotely, the first evacuation of the site since the start of the war with Iran. The Houthis claim attacks on the Saudi defence ministry in Riyadh and Aramco facilities at Yanbu, which Saudi authorities did not confirm.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil company Saudi Aramco has asked its staff to evacuate its headquarters in Dhahran, on the Gulf coast, and to work remotely. Reuters, citing six people familiar with the matter, reported the news on Thursday, October 22, as the kingdom’s conflict with Yemen’s Houthis escalates. It is the first evacuation of the headquarters since the start of the war with Iran.
A few hours earlier, the Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced in a televised statement that the group had launched attacks on Aramco facilities at Yanbu, on the Red Sea coast, and on Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry in Riyadh. Saudi authorities did not confirm the attack. The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted drones over Riyadh and Medina, which is near Yanbu.
Saree also said that Saudi strikes in Yemen have killed and wounded 562 people since mid-July, when the Houthis declared a naval blockade of the kingdom. He also accused Saudi Arabia of attacking a vessel carrying 14 Indians near Jabal Zuqar island, which the group seized in September. These claims come from the Houthi side.
A new wave of attacks
The Houthis had caused extensive damage at Aramco’s headquarters earlier in October, when they hit the building and the fire spread across several floors. On Wednesday evening an attack on King Fahd airport in Dammam, near Dhahran, killed two people and wounded eight, while two others were killed by drone debris at the Shaybah oil field. The same day Washington ordered non-essential diplomats to leave from Saudi Arabia. Since the start of the month the Houthis have warned airlines not to use Saudi airspace.
Riyadh is responding with strikes on launch sites in Yemen and says it has intercepted many ballistic missiles. The conflict ended the 2022 UN-brokered truce and opened a new front in the war of the US and Israel with Iran, which Riyadh accuses of encouraging the attacks, a charge Tehran rejects. After the Aramco news Saudi Arabia’s stock index fell 2.5% and Brent rose to its highest level since May.