People visit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force Museum in Tehran. PHOTO: REUTERS
RIYADH:
An attack claimed by Yemen’s Houthi movement damaged Saudi oil giant Aramco’s corporate tower in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District on Sunday, shattering windows across several floors and marking a further escalation in the conflict between the group and the kingdom.
The Saudi Energy Ministry said debris from an attempted attack had caused limited damage to the building, adding that no injuries or fatalities had been reported. Witnesses told AFP they saw damage to several floors and part of the tower’s facade.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said air defences intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched towards Riyadh in the early hours of Sunday. It also reported intercepting another Houthi missile in the kingdom’s Eastern Province, home to much of its oil and gas reserves.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the group had carried out multiple missile and drone operations targeting Saudi military positions, Aramco facilities and Riyadh airport. Saudi authorities did not confirm that the airport had been hit.
The coalition also said it had destroyed two ballistic missile launchers in Yemen’s Saada province that were used in the attack on Riyadh.
The Houthis said six operations had targeted Aramco oil installations, Riyadh airport and Saudi military positions on both sides of the border. The group has intensified its attacks in recent weeks, including strikes on Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran in the Eastern Province.
The latest attack came hours after Saudi authorities announced the resumption of in-person schooling in Riyadh following weeks of remote learning because of earlier Houthi strikes. Several government agencies also returned to office-based work after suspending operations.
Meanwhile, Houthi authorities said Saudi air strikes killed at least 33 people and wounded 39 in Al-Shariya village, east of Yemen’s capital Sanaa, on Saturday. The group’s health ministry said the dead included 12 men, eight women and 13 children.
War with Iran ‘highly unlikely’
US President Donald Trump on Sunday cast doubt on renewed fighting with Iran, telling CNN that it was “highly unlikely” so long as talks progressed.
“The answer is highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary… I would if necessary, but we hit them
really hard,” Trump said, while warning that any decision to resume hostilities “depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement.”
