World · Middle East · 6 hrs ago
Explosions reported in Riyadh and near Saudi Aramco headquarters
Explosions were heard in Riyadh and near Saudi Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran on Tuesday as fighting with Yemen’s Houthis escalated.
The Dhahran headquarters had been evacuated, and one source reported smoke, but Aramco did not confirm an attack or damage.
In Riyadh, a blast followed a civil defense alert warning of an aerial threat.
The reports came after Saudi-led forces struck Houthi-held areas in Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa.
The Houthis had threatened to retaliate against Saudi Arabia, and the Saudi Cabinet said the kingdom would not accept threats to its security or maritime navigation.
The conflict also threatens travel and shipping, as airlines suspended some flights and fighting intensified near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a major shipping route.
Saudi forces said they intercepted three drones north of Riyadh, but that claim could not be independently verified.
Explosions were reported in Riyadh and near Saudi Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran on Tuesday, amid escalating conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis.
Six sources told Reuters that loud booms were heard near the evacuated Aramco headquarters, but the company did not confirm an attack or damage.
Saudi civil defense warned Riyadh residents of an incoming aerial threat, and a loud blast was heard in the city afterward.
The reports followed Saudi-led coalition strikes on a fuel facility in Houthi-controlled Sanaa and Houthi threats to retaliate against Saudi targets.
The coalition said it intercepted missiles and drones over Riyadh, though one report said the interception claim could not be independently verified.
- Who
- Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement.
- What
- Explosions were reported in Riyadh and near Saudi Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran. The reports came amid retaliatory threats and strikes.
- When
- Tuesday, 13 October 2026.
- Where
- Riyadh and Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; the preceding coalition strikes targeted Sanaa, Yemen.
- Why
- The incidents followed Saudi-led coalition strikes on a Houthi-controlled fuel facility and Houthi threats to retaliate.
Saudi-led coalition and Saudi authorities
Houthis
Retaliation and security
Saudi-led coalition and Saudi authorities
The coalition said it struck a fuel facility in Sanaa and warned civilians to evacuate beforehand. Saudi authorities said the kingdom would not allow threats to its security.
Houthis
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree warned that further Saudi strikes on Sanaa would prompt a response against Riyadh.
Targets
Saudi-led coalition and Saudi authorities
The coalition said its strikes targeted the al-Sabaha central station fuel facility; another report called the site al-Suhaba.
Houthis
The Houthis warned that Saudi oil facilities and offices, including Aramco sites, were legitimate targets.
A Houthi strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300, according to Daily Sabah.
The Saudi-led coalition urged civilians to evacuate before striking a fuel facility in Sanaa.
The Houthis warned employees and civilians near Aramco facilities and offices to evacuate and threatened to retaliate against Riyadh.
Explosions were reported near the evacuated Aramco headquarters in Dhahran, and a blast was heard in Riyadh after a civil defense alert.
- Riyadh
- A loud blast was heard after an alert warning of an incoming aerial threat.
- Dhahran
- Six sources told Reuters that loud booms were heard near the evacuated Aramco headquarters.
- Aramco
- The company had not officially confirmed an attack or damage.
- Sanaa
- The Saudi-led coalition struck a Houthi-controlled fuel facility.
- Interceptions
- The coalition said it intercepted at least three missiles and two drones over Riyadh; Daily Sabah reported three drones intercepted north of the city.
4 sources
What people are saying
Any targets in the capital Sanaa will be met with a harsh and painful response in the Saudi enemy's capital, Riyadh
The city of Riyadh is facing a hostile aerial threat
The Kingdom will not allow any threat to its security or to freedom of maritime navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait