Saudi Arabia Intercepts Missiles Targeting Riyadh as Debris Damages Aramco Building
Saudi air defenses intercepted four missiles aimed at Riyadh and other regions early Sunday, the Saudi-led coalition said, after falling debris damaged an Aramco building in the capital's financial district. No casualties were reported.
Saudi Arabia said its air defenses intercepted missiles targeting Riyadh and other regions early Sunday, after falling debris damaged a building belonging to the state oil company Aramco in the capital’s financial district.
Witnesses in Riyadh said they heard a loud explosion on Sunday morning and saw damage across several floors of the Aramco building in the King Abdullah Financial District, with some floors badly damaged. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns, according to the Associated Press.
The Saudi-led coalition said its air defenses intercepted two ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles aimed at Riyadh and other regions, and it blamed the Houthis in Yemen for launching them. The coalition also said it intercepted a ballistic missile overnight that was aimed at Saudi Arabia’s southern region, which borders Yemen.
The Saudi Energy Ministry said falling shrapnel caused minor damage to the building and that no one was hurt. Aramco and the Saudi Center for International Communication did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Associated Press.
Attack follows Saudi strikes near Sanaa
The missile launches came a day after Saudi airstrikes near Sanaa, the Yemeni capital held by the Houthis. Houthi officials said those strikes killed at least 27 people.
Shipping risks stay high in the Gulf
On Saturday, the United Arab Emirates said it rescued 22 crew members after a fire broke out aboard a cargo ship in the Sea of Oman. The UAE National Guard said the crew members, all of Arab nationalities, were in stable condition after receiving first aid. The National Guard did not name the vessel or give the cause of the fire.
United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a British military group that tracks maritime security incidents, said a tanker caught fire on Saturday about 8 nautical miles northwest of Khasab, Oman, and its crew was evacuated. The group did not name the vessel or say who targeted it, and it was not clear whether it was the same ship the UAE helped.
Also on Saturday, U.S. forces disabled a St. Kitts-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman, saying it had tried to breach the U.S. naval blockade of Iran. Separately, the Iranian military said late Saturday that two tankers had struck mines near the Strait of Hormuz and caught fire. It did not name the vessels or their destinations.
Reporting based on coverage by the Associated Press.
