Cairo [Egypt], November 9: The Iran-backed Houthi militia has attacked a well-known skyscraper in central Riyadh, the administrative building of state oil company Aramco, the Saudi energy ministry said.
There were no deaths or injuries, but debris falling on the building caused "limited damage", the ministry said. Photos and videos circulating online showed severe damage to the Aramco Tower.
Footage suggests the attack tore a large hole across several floors of the glass facade. The 34-storey building is owned by Aramco lies in the central business district of the Saudi capital, near some of the city's best-known skyscrapers.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree confirmed the attack and said the militia had also targeted Riyadh's banking district, known as the King Abdullah Financial District. The Houthis had also attacked Riyadh's international airport again, as well as Aramco targets in the east and Saudi troops in Yemen, he said.
Aramco is headquartered in Dhahran in the east of Saudi Arabia but has a large presence in Riyadh.
The business district, with about 100 buildings, is seen as a symbol of Saudi Arabia as a modern location for business and finance.
Aramco facilities have repeatedly been targeted by Houthi attacks, which have significantly stepped up in recent months. The Houthis target airports and oil infrastructure, among others.
The Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Houthis said drones and cruise missiles had been intercepted in Riyadh and in the south of the country. Saudi civil defence again issued warnings, including for the capital.
Later, the coalition said it had destroyed two ballistic missile launchers in Saada that had been used in the attack on Riyadh. Saada province in Yemen is considered a stronghold of the Houthi militia.
According to the Houthis, Saudi Arabia also continued its airstrikes in Yemen.
The death toll from an airstrike in Sanaa rose to 33, a spokesman for the Houthi-controlled health ministry said. Among the dead were 13 children. A further 39 people were injured.
Saudi Arabia began bombing Houthi positions in Yemen in 2015, together with allies, to push the militia back. Riyadh is backed by the internationally recognized government in the country and local militias. After a ceasefire from 2022, fighting has flared up again amid the Iran war.
According to the independent Yemen Data Project, which counts Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in Yemen as well as civilian war casualties, last month saw Saudi attacks as severe as any since 2017. At least 140 civilians were killed and more than 280 others were injured.
The project counted more than 430 Saudi bombings in October alone in the war-torn country. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly drawn international criticism for the many civilian casualties in the war.
Source: Qatar Tribune
