A ballistic missile struck the headquarters complex of Saudi Aramco in Dhahran on the night of October 13–14, setting an office tower ablaze in one of the most audacious attacks yet on the heart of the Saudi oil establishment.
According to Reuters sources who spoke on October 14, three people with direct knowledge of the incident said the headquarters suffered extensive damage. The fire spread between the sixth and tenth floors of the tower, starting on the ninth floor of the south wing. The top three floors — which include the office area of Aramco chief executive Amin Nasser — were severely damaged, with ceilings caving in and windows blown out. The fire was still burning into the early hours of October 14.
The Saudi energy ministry confirmed a “limited fire” at the complex but said there were no injuries or deaths. Operations, the sources said, continued normally — with some staff asked to work from home and certain functions shifted to Aramco’s global offices.
The strike marks a sharp escalation in a week-long campaign of Houthi ballistic missile and drone attacks on Saudi targets. The Houthis have said the attacks are in retaliation for the kingdom’s backing of government forces in Yemen’s reignited civil war. Riyadh’s airport has received four strikes in recent days, including a Saturday strike that killed 13 people — the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in a decade.
The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia has issued an advisory for Indian nationals in the kingdom following the Riyadh airport attack, urging caution amid the deteriorating security situation.
The Dhahran strike is the latest escalation in a week-long campaign in which the Houthis have fired ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi targets, in retaliation for the kingdom’s backing of government forces in Yemen’s reignited civil war. Riyadh’s airport has received four strikes in that span, including a Saturday strike that killed 13 people — the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in a decade.
Even as the fire raged, Aramco moved to keep operations running normally — some staff were asked to work from home and certain functions were shifted to the company’s global offices, even as the blaze continued into the early hours of October 14.
A direct strike on the Dhahran headquarters, in the heart of the kingdom’s eastern oil province, carries a different weight from attacks on distant facilities. The damage to the executive floors, including the office area of CEO Amin Nasser, underscores the reach of the current campaign.
The incident raises fresh questions about air-defence coverage over Saudi Arabia’s critical infrastructure and adds a new layer of volatility to an already tense regional picture, with energy markets watching for any impact on Aramco’s operations.
