Houthi missile strike damages Saudi Aramco headquarters as Yemen war escalates

A missile attack by Yemen's Houthi movement struck the headquarters of Saudi Aramco, the state oil company, in Dhahran in eastern Saudi Arabia on the night of Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Saudi Arabia's energy ministry said the attack caused a limited fire and no injuries. However, three people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on October 14 that the complex suffered extensive damage, with fire spreading across several floors, and that the top three floors of the building, which house the office of Aramco chief executive Amin Nasser, were badly damaged. Operations continued normally, though some staff were asked to work from home. The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, claimed the strike and vowed on Wednesday to keep attacking Saudi airports and oil facilities.

Aramco's Dhahran complex is not just an office. According to reports on the attack, it also hosts an operations centre that helps the company oversee its oil fields, refineries, export terminals and pipelines. A strike on it is a direct hit at the nerve centre of the world's largest oil company and a signal that the Houthis can reach deep into the kingdom's oil heartland, not only its border areas or capital.

The attack is the latest step in a rapid escalation. A ceasefire between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis that had held for four years broke down this summer, according to CBS News. In recent days the Houthis have hit Riyadh's main airport, and the Saudi-led coalition has bombed oil sites in western Yemen, including in Sanaa and near the Ras Isa port. The coalition said it intercepted further drones and missiles aimed at Riyadh, Dhahran and Al-Kharj. US President Donald Trump has accused the Houthis of trying to drive up oil prices and has been weighing a US role in the Saudi-led campaign. A senior Houthi official said Oman had tried to bring both sides back to talks, and that the group would welcome mediation towards a full end to the war.

Oil markets are watching closely. Brent crude was trading around $106 a barrel on October 14, after rising earlier on the airport attacks.

For India, the stakes are high. Saudi Arabia supplied about 12.6 per cent of India's crude imports in the first half of 2026, according to shipbroker data based on vessel tracking, and Gulf producers together supplied close to 40 per cent. Attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure therefore feed into India's fuel costs and import bill. Indian airlines have also cancelled flights to the kingdom after the airport strikes.

Short-term: Further attacks on Saudi energy sites would keep upward pressure on oil prices and raise insurance and security costs for Gulf energy and shipping. Airlines and companies with staff in Saudi Arabia are likely to keep precautions in place.

Long-term: If the US joins the Saudi-led campaign, the conflict could widen. If mediation by Oman or others succeeds, the region could return to the kind of truce that held until this summer. Either way, the attack shows how exposed Gulf oil infrastructure remains.

Who is affected: Saudi Arabia and Aramco; Yemen's civilians, who face renewed air strikes; oil importers such as India; airlines and travellers in the Gulf; and foreign workers, including Indians, living in Saudi Arabia.

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