RIYADH — Yemen’s Houthi rebels have dramatically escalated their campaign against Saudi Arabia this week, launching ballistic missiles and drones at the kingdom’s defence ministry, international airports and oil facilities. The attacks have killed several civilians, forced state oil giant Aramco to evacuate its headquarters, prompted the United States to pull diplomats’ families out of the country, and sent crude oil prices to a five-month high.
Four attacks in 48 hours — Riyadh, Dammam, Abha and Yanbu targeted
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement on Thursday that the group had carried out four major operations deep inside Saudi territory over the preceding 48 hours, deploying ballistic missiles and drones. According to the statement, reported by dpa via the Qatar Tribune, the targets were the Saudi Defence Ministry headquarters in Riyadh, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Abha airport in the kingdom’s south-west, and a facility operated by Aramco in the port city of Yanbu.
Shortly after the Houthi statement, the Saudi-led military coalition announced that it had intercepted four drones over the Riyadh and Medina regions. The coalition, which has been fighting the Houthis in Yemen for more than a decade, did not report any casualties or damage from those interceptions.
Deadly strikes on Dammam airport and the Shaybah oil field
The escalation turned deadly on Wednesday evening. Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said two people were killed and eight others injured in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, with material damage still being assessed. The Indian Embassy in Riyadh confirmed that an Indian national was among the dead, with two more Indians among the injured — alongside Yemeni, Bangladeshi, Nepalese and Saudi nationals, some of them in serious condition.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs condemned the attacks — its third such condemnation in two weeks — calling strikes on civilian and critical infrastructure “completely unacceptable” and saying India stands in solidarity with Saudi Arabia.
In a separate incident on Wednesday, Saudi air defences shot down a Houthi drone targeting a processing facility at Aramco’s Shaybah oil field. Debris from the interception killed two people — a Filipino and a Nepali national, according to the Saudi Ministry of Energy — and injured two others.
Friday morning: Riyadh comes under fire again
The attacks continued into Friday. Saudi Arabia confirmed that drones and missiles targeted Riyadh and the southern region early on Friday, with the state-run SPA news agency reporting that the attacks were intercepted and destroyed. Houthi spokesman Saree warned of “catastrophic and unforeseen repercussions” if Saudi Arabia targeted Yemeni tribes, threatening operations “deep into Saudi territory.”
The Houthis have stepped up attacks on neighbouring Saudi Arabia in recent weeks amid a renewed escalation of the war in Yemen, with airports and oil facilities the main targets. Clashes have also intensified around Bab el-Mandeb, the shipping chokepoint at the mouth of the Red Sea.
Aramco evacuates headquarters as US pulls out diplomats’ families
As the attacks intensified, Reuters reported that Saudi Aramco ordered staff to evacuate its headquarters in Dhahran on the Gulf coast near Bahrain — a striking signal of how seriously the kingdom is treating the threat to its energy infrastructure. The US government also directed non-essential personnel and their families to leave American diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia, according to reports.
Oil prices surge to a five-month high
Energy markets reacted sharply. Brent crude futures closed up $4.35, or 4.00 percent, at $113.17 a barrel on Thursday — the highest level since May. On Friday, Brent held near $114 while US West Texas Intermediate traded around $100 a barrel. Both benchmarks are up more than 40 percent this year, including gains of over 13 percent in the past 30 days.
Analysts at Ritterbusch and Associates attributed the rally to a fresh injection of risk premium tied to the Houthi attacks, while ING’s commodity strategists said their previous $80-a-barrel fourth-quarter Brent average now looked “unattainable.” Adding to supply fears, Libya’s National Oil Corporation reported a pipeline shutdown that forced production cuts at two fields feeding the Zawiya export terminal.
What happens next
The conflict between the world’s largest crude exporter and the Iran-aligned Houthis has intensified sharply this month. With Israel’s election days away and the US midterm elections next month, analysts warn the region is edging toward further escalation — and oil markets are pricing in the risk that the attacks continue.
Sources: Reuters; The Associated Press (via NDTV, New Indian Express, Korea Times, Manila Bulletin); Saudi Press Agency (SPA); Qatar Tribune/dpa; The Indian Express; AGBI; OilPrice.com; Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation; Saudi Ministry of Energy.