Yemen’s Houthis vowed Wednesday to keep attacking airports and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. They also said they struck the headquarters of oil giant Saudi Aramco, which came under attack the day before. The Iran-aligned group said it launched ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones at Aramco facilities in the eastern city of Dhahran, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and an Aramco refinery in Riyadh. It didn’t say when.
Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said an attack on an Aramco administrative building in Dhahran caused a limited fire. No one was killed, the ministry said. International media reported that it remained unclear whether a missile hit the building directly or interception debris and shrapnel damaged it. Three people with direct knowledge gave Reuters a different account, describing extensive damage and a fire that spread across several floors. Two sources said the fire began on the ninth floor of the south wing and spread between the sixth and 10th floors. The top three floors, where Aramco CEO Amin Nasser’s office is located, suffered severe damage, with part of the ceiling caved in and windows and doors blown out. A fourth person said the fire was still burning into the early hours of Wednesday. Aramco didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
A Widening War on the Gulf
The facility houses an operations center that helps the world’s largest oil company oversee onshore and offshore rigs, refineries, export terminals and thousands of kilometers of pipeline. Two sources said operations continued normally, although some employees were asked to work from home. A fourth person said the company shifted some functions to global offices.
The past week has been deadly. One account said a Houthi attack on Riyadh airport on Saturday, four days before this report, killed at least 13 people and wounded 309. A regional official told the Associated Press that the missile struck an area containing passenger terminals 3 and 4, which serve domestic flights. The Saudi aviation authority said the dead included Saudi citizens and foreign nationals from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, the Palestinian territories, Sudan and Bangladesh. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that an American citizen was among the dead and called for an immediate end to strikes that endanger civilians. Saudi authorities deployed heavy security around the airport and warned against distributing footage of the attacks.
Saturday’s strike came two days after another assault on the same airport. At least one passenger aircraft, reportedly empty, suffered damage, and three Saudi citizens, including a pilot, died. Three more people died in earlier attacks on airports in Riyadh and Abha last week.
The Houthis say they’re retaliating for Saudi backing of Yemeni government forces in the Yemen war, which restarted last month, reignited by the US-Iran confrontation in the Gulf. They urged “international shipping companies,” civilians and workers to evacuate airports and oil facilities, which they declared legitimate military targets. The Aramco strike followed Saudi airstrikes on oil facilities in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, including the al-Sabaha station in Sanaa, after Saudi authorities issued an evacuation warning. The Houthis then warned of attacks on Aramco’s Dhahran headquarters, King Khalid airport and the Riyadh refinery, giving precise locations.
On Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile fired toward Riyadh. Several loud booms rang out in the capital, and sirens sounded in Riyadh and nearby Al-Kharj.
Military Preparations in Israel
Israeli defense officials assess that the Houthi threat has intensified, prompting heightened preparation for a possible surprise attack on Israel by land or sea. The IDF is expected to set up a fire coordination center within the Edom Division. Preparations include reserve and rapid-response troops in the Eilat area, training exercises, weapons deployments, tighter coordination among ground, naval and air units, shorter response times, and joint exercises with the Israel Police and Border Police operating in the area.
Over the past two years, the Houthis have released videos of training exercises that simulate ground raids on Israel, including mock outposts and fortified guard towers. Defense officials describe the group’s warnings of ground attacks as unpredictable.
The officials aren’t ruling out a chain reaction. Houthi attacks on the Saudi home front could cause more casualties, force a harsher Saudi response and potentially draw the US military into a more forceful confrontation. If that happens, the Houthis could target American interests on Israeli territory, and the IDF might have to respond. “The Houthis have long since ceased to be regarded as proxies of the Iranians, and they are demonstrating operational independence with an inexplicable determination against the Saudis,” one defense official said. IDF and US Central Command (CENTCOM) coordination aims to refine early-warning mechanisms.
Missiles, Components and Chinese Supply Lines
A Wall Street Journal report published Wednesday, drawing on Conflict Armament Research findings, said the Houthis are trying to manufacture advanced medium-range ballistic missiles using components supplied from China. The parts could help the group build its own version of Iran’s Kheibar Shekan missile, with a range of up to 1,200 miles, putting all of Saudi Arabia and Israel in range. The Iranian missile has reportedly been used against US military targets during the war with Iran. US assessments cited in the report say some versions carry a warhead that separates in the final phase of flight and uses a small propulsion system to adjust its trajectory.
Two shipments that Yemeni authorities intercepted in 2025, one year ago, concealed missile-related equipment among other goods. The seized material included metal components for missile bodies and engines, stabilizing fins, solid-fuel rocket motor components and heat-resistant materials. UN reports cited by the Journal say Chinese companies have become the largest source of goods destined for the Houthis. Beijing maintains that it complies with restrictions on arms sales to the group.
Economic Fallout
The fighting has damaged Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plans to transform and diversify the Saudi economy. The kingdom’s real GDP is projected to contract by 3.6% this year. After the weekend attacks, Saudi Arabia plans to make its flagship Future Investment Initiative, nicknamed “Davos in the Desert,” a hybrid event with remote attendance for executives, two people familiar with the matter said. On Monday, major oil bosses dropped out of an international conference in Riyadh. The World Petroleum Council’s energy congress is also scheduled for Riyadh this month, and several senior executives have reportedly canceled plans to attend. Employees in Riyadh’s financial district were told to work from home Wednesday. Repeated missile attacks have also severely disrupted international aviation, effectively restricting access to Saudi airspace and adding pressure on airlines already struggling with regional wars and soaring fuel prices.