Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis vowed Wednesday to keep attacking airports and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. They also claimed responsibility for striking the headquarters of oil giant Saudi Aramco, hit the day before. The group said it fired ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones at Aramco facilities in Dhahran, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and an Aramco refinery in Riyadh. It didn’t say when.
The Iran-aligned group is also trying to build something far more dangerous. A Wall Street Journal report published Wednesday, based on research by Conflict Armament Research, said the Houthis are attempting to manufacture advanced medium-range ballistic missiles on their own, using components supplied from China. The goal is a version of Iran’s Kheibar Shekan missile, with a range of up to 1,200 miles. That would put all of Saudi Arabia and Israel in range. The Iranian missile has reportedly been used against US military targets during the war with Iran and is designed to maneuver toward its target, potentially evading air defense systems. According to US assessments cited in the report, certain versions feature a warhead that separates during the final phase of flight and uses a small propulsion system to adjust its trajectory.
The Terror Threat
Three people with direct knowledge told Reuters that the Dhahran headquarters suffered extensive damage on Tuesday, as fire spread across several floors. One source said a fire started on the ninth floor of the south wing and spread between the sixth and 10th floors. Another said the top three floors, where Aramco CEO Amin Nasser has his office, suffered severe damage, with part of the ceiling caved in and windows and doors blown out. A fourth person said the fire still burned into the early hours of Wednesday. The facility hosts 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.
Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said attackers hit the administrative building and caused a limited fire, with no casualties. International media reported that they couldn’t determine whether a missile struck the building directly or interception debris caused the damage.
Civilians have paid in blood. A Houthi strike on Riyadh airport on Saturday, four days ago, killed 13 people. Another account puts the toll at at least 13 dead and 309 wounded. 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 foreign nationals from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, the Palestinian territories, Sudan and Bangladesh, as well as Saudi citizens. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed an American citizen was killed and called for an immediate end to strikes that endanger innocent civilians.
Saturday’s strike came two days after another deadly assault on the same airport. At least one passenger aircraft, reportedly empty, suffered damage, and three Saudi citizens, including a pilot, were killed. Three more people died in earlier attacks on airports in Riyadh and Abha last week. The Houthis then urged “international shipping companies,” civilians and workers to evacuate airports and oil facilities, which they declared legitimate military targets. They named the Dhahran headquarters, the Riyadh airport and the Riyadh refinery, with precise locations.
Iran’s Proxy Network
The Conflict Armament Research report described two shipments Yemeni authorities intercepted in 2025, one year ago, with missile-related equipment hidden among other goods. The seized material reportedly included metal components for missile bodies and engines, stabilizing fins, solid-fuel rocket motor components and heat-resistant materials meant to protect parts of the missile during launch. According to UN reports cited by The Wall Street Journal, Chinese companies have become the largest source of goods destined for the Houthis. Beijing says it complies with restrictions on arms sales to the group.
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. The Aramco attack followed Saudi airstrikes on oil facilities in Houthi-controlled areas. Saudi authorities had issued an evacuation warning beforehand for Yemeni Oil Company facilities, particularly the al-Sabaha station in Sanaa. Houthi warnings to Aramco employees followed.
Self-Defense Under Fire
Israeli defense officials assess that the Houthi threat has intensified amid the fighting with Saudi Arabia, prompting heightened preparations for a possible surprise attack against Israel by land or sea. The IDF is expected to establish a fire coordination center within the Edom Division. Over the past two years, the Houthis have released numerous videos of training exercises simulating ground raids against Israel, including mock military outposts and fortified guard towers. Officials say the Houthis have increasingly warned in recent weeks and months that they could carry out ground attacks, including against Israel, and describe them as unpredictable.
Israeli preparations include reserve and rapid-response troops in the Eilat area, training exercises, weapons deployments, better coordination among ground, naval and air units, shorter response times, and joint exercises with the Israel Police and Border Police. Operational and intelligence coordination between the IDF and the US military’s Central Command aims to refine early-warning mechanisms.
Officials aren’t ruling out a chain reaction. The Houthis could sharply increase attacks on the Saudi home front, causing more casualties and damage, forcing Riyadh to escalate and potentially drawing in the US military. The Houthis could then target American interests on Israeli territory, potentially requiring the IDF 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.
The economic toll is mounting. Saudi Arabia’s real GDP is projected to contract by 3.6% this year. The Future Investment Initiative, nicknamed “Davos in the Desert,” will become a hybrid event with remote attendance for executives, two people familiar with the matter said. Major oil bosses dropped out of an international conference in Riyadh on Monday, and several senior executives have reportedly canceled plans to attend the World Petroleum Council’s energy congress. 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.
On Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile fired toward Riyadh. Several loud booms were heard in the capital. Air raid sirens sounded in Riyadh and nearby Al-Kharj.