Houthis claim attacks on Saudi defence ministry, airports and Aramco-related site
In short
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group said on the 22nd that it had attacked several places in Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles and drones over the past 48 hours. Targets it named include the defence ministry building in Riyadh, airports in Dammam and Abha, and a Saudi Aramco-related facility in Yanbu. Saudi authorities said an attack on Dammam airport on the 21st killed two people and injured others.
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Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group said on the 22nd that it had attacked various parts of Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles and drones over the past 48 hours, according to a Kyodo report from Cairo carried by Japanese outlets. The group said it targeted the defence ministry building in the capital Riyadh, the airports in Dammam in the east and Abha in the south-west, and a facility related to the state oil company Saudi Aramco in Yanbu in the west. [ 1 , 2 ]
The Houthis said the attacks on the defence ministry building and on Abha airport hit their targets directly. The report says details are unknown. For Yanbu, the group said a fire broke out at the Saudi Aramco-related facility. The reports give no Saudi response to these claims. Saudi authorities did say that Dammam airport was attacked on the 21st, that two people died and that others were injured. [ 1 , 2 ]
Saudi Arabia is attacking the Houthis in coordination with Yemen's interim government, according to the report, and the Houthis have repeatedly attacked Saudi airports and oil-related facilities in response. Amid the exchanges, State Department spokesperson Piggott said on X on the 21st that some staff and family members at the US embassy in Saudi Arabia had been ordered to leave. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The reports describe continuing exchanges between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, with airports and oil-related sites named as targets. The US State Department's order for some embassy staff and families to leave Saudi Arabia points to concern about the security situation.
Key facts
- The Houthis said on the 22nd that they had attacked various parts of Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles and drones in the past 48 hours. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Houthis said the targets included the defence ministry building in Riyadh, airports in Dammam (east) and Abha (south-west), and a Saudi Aramco-related facility in Yanbu (west). [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Houthis said the attacks on the defence ministry building and the Abha airport hit their targets directly; details are unknown. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Houthis said the attack on Yanbu started a fire at the Saudi Aramco-related facility. [ 1 , 2 ]
- According to Saudi authorities, Dammam airport was attacked on the 21st; two people died and others were injured. [ 1 , 2 ]
- State Department spokesperson Piggott said on X on the 21st that some staff and family members at the US embassy in Saudi Arabia had been ordered to leave. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Nothing is confirmed by two independent outlets yet.
Still unclear
- Whether the defence ministry building in Riyadh and the Abha airport were hit as the Houthis claim. The Houthis said the attacks hit their targets directly; the reports say details are unknown and give no Saudi confirmation.
- Whether a fire broke out at the Saudi Aramco-related facility in Yanbu. The fire is a Houthi claim only; no Saudi statement on Yanbu is given.
- Whether the Houthi account of attacks over 48 hours is accurate. The reports present it as the group's claim; the only Saudi-sourced detail is the Dammam airport attack on the 21st.
- Saudi authorities said Dammam airport was attacked on the 21st, killing two people and injuring others. Reported by a single source so far
- US State Department spokesperson Piggott said on X on the 21st that an evacuation order had been issued for some US embassy staff and families in Saudi Arabia. Reported by a single source so far
- Saudi Arabia is attacking the Houthis in coordination with Yemen's interim government, and the Houthis have repeatedly struck Saudi airports and oil-related facilities in response. Reported by a single source so far