War against the Houthis: Fire at the headquarters of the Saudi oil company Aramco

Riyadh/Sanaa. A fire broke out at the headquarters of the Saudi oil company Aramco after a suspected attack by the Yemeni Houthi militia. The Energy Ministry in Riyadh said there was a “limited fire” due to an attack. Nobody was harmed. The Saudi military alliance fighting the Houthis said a militia rocket was intercepted and destroyed there.

Saudi Aramco is the kingdom's state-owned oil company. It is one of the most valuable corporations in the world and is based in the Dammam metropolitan region in eastern Saudi Arabia, from where oil production and exports are controlled.

The Houthis had previously threatened attacks on the Aramco headquarters and renewed attacks on Riyadh airport if Saudi Arabia in turn attacked the Yemeni capital Sanaa. This has been controlled by the Houthis for around ten years.

Saudi Civil Defense said two cruise missiles were intercepted over the capital Riyadh during the night. Four people were injured and 15 houses were damaged by falling debris.

In Yemen, the fighting that has been going on for weeks continues, including in the province of Tais. Government troops said the Houthis had captured an important access point to the city of Tais. There had previously been heavy fighting with soldiers of the internationally recognized government. Tais is the third largest city in Yemen. It was besieged for years during the civil war. The Houthis wanted to completely take over the strategically important place.

The new fighting continues to have dramatic consequences for tens of thousands of families. According to the UN, almost 200,000 people have been displaced as a result. Even before the recent violence began, there were 4.8 million internally displaced people in Yemen. Health care is poor. Diseases such as cholera and measles are increasingly spreading due to refugee movements.