Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis traded new attacks on Wednesday, with the Iranian-backed group targeting the Saudi capital and claiming responsibility for an attack on the headquarters of state oil giant Aramco.
Saudi authorities said the target was Aramco’s administrative building in the city of Dhahran, where Aramco is headquartered. The fire was limited, but it was not immediately clear whether the building was hit directly or was damaged by falling debris from an intercepted missile. No injuries were reported.
The Saudi-led coalition also said it intercepted and destroyed three cruise missiles and two drones targeting the Riyadh region and southern Saudi Arabia. At least four people were injured by falling debris, Saudi authorities said.
The attack on Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil producer, threatens the backbone of the Saudi economy and a critical source of the world’s energy supply.
CNN has reached out to Saudi Aramco for comment.
The attack marked the latest escalation between the two countries following a week of deadly Houthi missile and drone attacks that shut down Riyadh’s main international airport.
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday attacked a major fuel depot in Yemen, which it claimed was being used by Houthi rebels to support attacks on Saudi airports and energy facilities, as well as attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthi-controlled Yemeni Oil Company said it had no petroleum products at its facilities and the attack had not affected its fuel reserves or supplies.
The Houthis said the strikes killed two civilians and injured two others, but the Saudi-led coalition claimed they had warned civilians to leave the area beforehand.
On Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition announced that Saudi defense forces intercepted a ballistic missile fired toward Riyadh. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they targeted King Khalid International Airport in a “precise and direct” attack. CNN was unable to independently verify this claim, and Saudi officials had no immediate comment.
Earlier in the day, the Houthis announced they would continue to target airports and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, warning international shipping companies and personnel working at these sites to stay away, saying they had become “legitimate targets” for Saudi forces.
The exchanges came amid signs that the long-running conflict, which flared up again this summer and escalated last month after years of relative calm, continues to escalate.
On Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted a ballistic missile fired toward the eastern province and another aimed at Harad, near the Yemeni border. It also reported intercepting three Houthi drones north of Riyadh.
Meanwhile, Houthi-run al-Masira TV reported that three Yemenis and two people of African descent in Baqim district were injured in shelling by the Saudi-led coalition in Saada province. It later reported that two civilians were killed and two others injured in shelling of a residential village in the Shadaa border area of Sadar province, as well as airstrikes in Sanaa and several other provinces. CNN cannot independently verify reports.
The conflict has escalated since July, when the Houthis announced they would target Saudi shipping in the Red Sea and Saudi infrastructure.
These attacks have intensified in recent days, including repeated attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, which on Saturday left 13 people dead and more than 300 injured, Saudi Arabia’s worst attack in more than a decade.
The United States, United Kingdom, Spain and Canada are currently warning their citizens not to use their airports. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department on Tuesday expanded travel restrictions for U.S. government employees in Saudi Arabia, saying they now require special permission from the chief of mission to use Saudi airports.
The attack also exposed weaknesses in the defense capabilities of Saudi Arabia, which is conducting air operations in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government fighting the Houthis on the ground.
Yemen’s government announced on Wednesday that it was not seeking negotiations or a ceasefire with the Houthis and would press ahead with its “Yemeni Dawn” offensive.
“We are not asking for a ceasefire, we are not asking for negotiations with the Houthis,” Foreign Minister Afra al-Zuba said. “We are launching Operation Yemen Dawn to liberate the Yemeni people from this terrorist militia.”
The announcement came as the World Food Program (WFP) warned that escalating fighting in Yemen has cut off life-saving aid to around 800,000 people, raising fears of a humanitarian catastrophe as front lines shift and access routes are cut off.
“This situation can quickly turn into a humanitarian catastrophe if aid cannot be moved safely and delivered to those most in need,” WFP Country Director for Yemen El Hidir Daroum said in a statement.
