Houthis strike Saudi Aramco headquarters in Dhahran
- Yemen's Houthi movement launched a ballistic missile and drone strike against the headquarters of state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco in Dhahran on October 13, 2026, triggering a fire...
- Reuters sources reported that the Saudi Aramco headquarters suffered extensive damage during the Tuesday night attack.
- The physical strike on the Saudi oil facility pushed Brent crude futures up $1.40, or 1.35%, to $107.35 a barrel, while U.S.
Yemen’s Houthi movement launched a ballistic missile and drone strike against the headquarters of state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco in Dhahran on October 13, 2026, triggering a fire that spread across several floors, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter cited by Reuters. The strike on the eastern city compound contrasted sharply with initial official characterizations from the Saudi Energy Ministry, which described the resulting blaze as a limited fire.
Dharan Compound Damage Versus Official Fire Reports
Reuters sources reported that the Saudi Aramco headquarters suffered extensive damage during the Tuesday night attack. That account differed from the official Saudi Energy Ministry statement, which minimized the incident as a localized fire. The Dhahran complex houses a major operations centre for Aramco, overseeing an extensive network of onshore and offshore oil rigs, pipelines, refineries, and export terminals, as reported by The Economic Times.
التحالف: اعتراض وتدمير صاروخ باليستي أطلقته الميليشيا الحوثية الإرهابية باتجاه الرياض.
Market Impact And Economic Uncertainty
The physical strike on the Saudi oil facility pushed Brent crude futures up $1.40, or 1.35%, to $107.35 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures gained $1.24, or 1.32%, to $95.38, according to market data reported by The Economic Times. While markets weighed the risk of supply disruptions against potential increased diesel supplies from Russia, analysts at JPMorgan stated they were unable to model how the broader conflict would ultimately unfold, noting that several economic thresholds had been crossed during the seven months of fighting.
Regional Escalation And Maritime Disruption
The Aramco attack formed part of a widening campaign by the Houthis, who issued warnings for international shipping companies, civilians, and workers to evacuate Saudi airports and oil facilities. Meanwhile, Gulf News reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards stated a container ship caught fire and sank in the Strait of Hormuz after striking a mine, while British security firm Vanguard reported the sinking of the Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride following a projectile strike.
Airport Closures And Humanitarian Impact
Saudi authorities closed King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh following a prior deadly strike on October 10, 2026, with the closure scheduled to remain in effect until October 17, 2026, according to Reuters. As airlines canceled flights, the conflict’s ripple effects extended into Yemen, where the World Food Programme stated that life-saving assistance had been cut off from 600,000 people in Taiz, including more than 200,000 women and children, while Red Cross hospitals struggled to cope with the influx of casualties.
