Missile hits Aramco building in Riyadh's financial district, witnesses say
Saudi official agency speaks of an attempted attack with minor damage and no reported casualties; Riyadh-led coalition says it shot down missiles it attributes to the Houthis.
Translated from the Portuguese original by the Panorama newsroom. Read in Portuguese
Summary written by the Panorama newsroom from the sources listed below. Facts are attributed to the original publications.
A missile struck a multistory building belonging to oil giant Aramco in the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, this Sunday (8), according to witnesses and a geolocated video, CNN en Español reported. The impact was reported after Saudi Civil Defense issued an alert about a possible threat to the city.
A video circulating on social media, verified by CNN, shows damage to the building's upper floors. The official Saudi news agency, citing a source at the Energy Ministry, described the incident as an attempted attack on an administrative building of the company and said falling shrapnel caused minor damage, with no injuries or deaths reported. One witness, however, said they saw ambulances heading to the area.
Several loud explosions were heard in Riyadh in the early hours of the day. The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed two cruise missiles, in Riyadh and in the southern region. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said on X that air defenses also shot down two ballistic missiles that, according to him, were launched by the Houthi militia toward the capital.
The Houthis, who over the past three months have launched missiles and drones at various targets in Saudi Arabia, have not claimed responsibility for the attack. The group has said it will continue its attacks as long as the kingdom keeps bombing the areas of Yemen under its control and maintains the blockade on that territory.
The attacks on Riyadh came a day after Yemen's Health Ministry, controlled by the Houthis, said Saudi airstrikes had killed at least 33 people near the capital, Sanaa, including women and children. Last month, according to CNN, 13 people died in a missile attack on Riyadh's international airport.