A video has gone viral online showing a large plume of smoke and fire rising in the vicinity of an Aramco facility in Riyadh. According to Reuters, citing a witness, the facility was reportedly targeted by Houthi drones or missiles on Saturday morning, while footage circulating online shows smoke and flames.
However, there was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities about the fire, and Aramco has not commented on the incident so far.
The incident comes amid escalating hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, who have stepped up attacks on Saudi cities and energy infrastructure. However, there was no immediate claim of responsibility for Saturday's fire by the Houthis.
The Houthis said last week that they had attacked Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu with missiles and drones. Saudi Arabia said at the time that it had intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis towards Taif and the Yanbu area, but did not report any damage to Aramco facilities, Reuters reported.
Earlier in August, Saudi Arabia faced growing risks to its Red Sea oil exports after the Houthis declared a maritime attack against the kingdom and claimed attacks on Yanbu and the Jazan refinery.
The attacks have also affected shipping in the region. Days ago, the Houthis attacked a power distribution station in Medina that supplies electricity to the Prophet's Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites. The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis confirmed the strike, saying the attack put one transformer out of service but did not affect the wider power network. However, a Houthi military source, quoted by the Houthi-run Saba news agency, denied the coalition's report.
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On September 16, Saudi Arabia accused Yemen's Houthi rebels of trying to attack Islam's holiest city, as the region responded with condemnation but no sign of military support. The kingdom, a key US ally, declared Mecca a "red line" as it slid deeper into the new front of the Iran war. However, the Houthis denied targeting Mecca.
The Houthis have continued targeting infrastructure in the kingdom and shipping in the Red Sea, where they have seized several islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Iran is also continuing to target ships in the Strait of Hormuz.