Fire at an Aramco oil facility south of Riyadh

Flames and smoke rose on Saturday from a facility belonging to the Saudi oil giant Aramco, south of the kingdom's capital, Riyadh, an AFP journalist noted. The circumstances of the facts remain unclear, but in recent weeks, Aramco, of which the Saudi state is the majority shareholder, has been the target of attacks by the pro-Iranian Houthis of Yemen, as part of their war against the government recognized by the international community, supported by Riyadh.

Aramco is the flagship of the Saudi economy and one of the world's largest companies by market capitalization. The Saudi authorities did not immediately communicate on this fire. Last month, the Houthis said they had launched strikes targeting "sensitive sites" in Riyadh and Aramco facilities in the port city of Yanbu, the kingdom's main oil terminal. In August, they also targeted an airport and facility owned by Aramco in the Najran region of southern Saudi Arabia.

Hostilities between Yemeni government forces and Houthi fighters, in power in much of the country, resumed in July after years of calm. The Houthis, who have increased their control over the Red Sea coast, have also established a maritime blockade targeting the Saudi fleet.

Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries, has been gripped by civil war for more than a decade. Loud explosions were heard on Saturday in Sanaa, controlled by the Houthis. A media outlet linked to these fighters announced Saudi strikes targeting the Yemeni capital.