Houthi missile attack on Dhahran; explosions heard near Aramco headquarters

The Houthis of Yemen, allies of the Islamic Republic, fired a wave of missiles and drones at Riyadh and Dhahran, the city where the oil company Aramco has its headquarters, on the evening of Tuesday, 13 October 2026. The Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed three missiles and two drones; before that announcement, several powerful explosions were heard in the Dhahran area.

Turki al-Maliki, the coalition spokesman, said the ballistic missile aimed at Dhahran was destroyed and its fragments landed in a nearby residential area; another missile targeting Haradh in the Al-Ahsa region was also intercepted. Several informed sources said the Aramco headquarters building was damaged and an evacuation order was issued, although it is unclear whether the building was hit directly or struck by shrapnel. Aramco has so far made no official comment, and its employees have been told to work from home on Wednesday.

Alert in Riyadh and Saudi response

Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense issued an early warning first for the Eastern Province and shortly afterwards for Riyadh, where an explosion was also heard in the capital. The same day, the Saudi cabinet warned the Houthis that repeated attacks on airports, Mecca and Medina, pilgrims, and the country's civilian and economic facilities will not go unanswered. The attack came after the deadly Houthi attacks on the Riyadh and Dammam airports and the coalition's strike on the Al-Sabahah oil station in Sanaa.

Trump: the Houthis are acting on the Islamic Republic's wishes

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said the Houthis are deliberately escalating attacks on Saudi infrastructure to push up oil prices before the US election, and are probably acting on the wishes of the Islamic Republic. He added that he will deal with the matter after the election and will not forget the attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Some Islamic Republic officials had earlier threatened, in private messages, to target Saudi oil facilities; a threat that the Houthis, the Islamic Republic's arm in Yemen, are now carrying out.

The missiles of the Houthis, allies of the Islamic Republic, this time targeted the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil industry in Dhahran.