Houthis Claim Strikes on Aramco Facilities in Riyadh and Khurais, Saudi Coalition Calls Riyadh Claims Misleading

Yemen's Houthis said on October 4, 2026, that they struck Aramco facilities in both Riyadh and the Khurais area with ballistic missiles and drones in retaliation for Saudi air and missile strikes on Sanaa and other Houthi-controlled areas. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the group carried out two operations targeting Aramco sites and that both achieved their objectives with precise hits causing large fires. Witnesses including an AFP journalist reported seeing a large plume of smoke and fire rising from an Aramco facility south of Riyadh on October 3, 2026, with fire engines, ambulances, and police vehicles responding to the scene. Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's government, said later on October 4 that Houthi claims of targeting Riyadh were misleading. The exchange comes amid a broader Saudi-led offensive against Houthi forces across Yemen, with coalition forces conducting dozens of strikes on Sanaa, Saada, and other Houthi-controlled areas on October 3 and 4.

The Khurais oil complex is a major production site southeast of Riyadh, and Aramco is Saudi Arabia's state oil company and one of the world's largest integrated energy companies. Saudi authorities and Aramco have not issued official confirmation of the cause of the fire or damage, leaving uncertainty about any disruption to operations or implications for regional and global oil supply.

Sources

Al Jazeera, October 4, 2026, aljazeera.com Middle East Eye, October 4, 2026, middleeasteye.net Xinhua, October 4, 2026, english.news.cn Newsmax, October 4, 2026, newsmax.com ANI News, October 5, 2026, aninews.in Kalinga TV, October 5, 2026, kalingatv.com OnTheDot World, October 5, 2026, onthedot.world Agence France-Presse via France 24, October 3, 2026, france24.com The National (UAE), October 4, 2026, thenationalnews.com