Fire breaks out at Aramco’s Riyadh refinery as Houthis claim a strike
Firefighters tackled a blaze at Aramco’s refinery south of Riyadh on October 3. Yemen’s Houthis claimed they had struck an Aramco facility with ballistic missiles and drones, while the Saudi-led coalition called their claim misleading. How the fire began is not yet clear. The dispute comes amid renewed fighting in Yemen after a fragile truce collapsed in July; the refinery’s damage and any effect on oil production have not yet been established.
Geopolitics··Midday
Firefighters respond south of Riyadh
Flames and smoke rose from Aramco’s refinery south of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, on October 3. Firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze, with ambulances and police vehicles near the installation. An AFP journalist saw the emergency response at the scene. A separate witness told Reuters that a large plume of smoke and fire was visible around the Aramco facility. Aramco is the Saudi oil company whose installation the Houthis said they had targeted. How the fire began, the extent of damage and any effect on oil production had not yet been established.[1], [2]
Houthi attack claim meets the coalition’s rejection
Yahya Saree, military spokesman for Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement, said in a statement posted on X on Saturday that ballistic missiles and drones had struck an Aramco oil facility in Riyadh. He claimed the weapons hit their targets directly and started fires. Later on Saturday, Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government, called the Houthi claims of targeting Riyadh misleading. The coalition spokesman’s remarks were carried by Saudi media.[1], [2]
Al-Maliki argued that the Houthis were trying to divert attention from losses around Taiz, a city in Yemen. That explanation is the coalition’s assessment. Aramco did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Before the Riyadh fire, the Houthis also accused Saudi Arabia of bombing Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, on Thursday night.[1]
Yemen’s July truce collapse precedes the Riyadh fire
Fighting in Yemen intensified after a fragile truce dating from 2022 collapsed in July. The conflict pits the Houthis against the internationally recognised government supported by Saudi Arabia. Yemen has been at war since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and forced the government to retreat to Aden. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced since fighting resumed. In mid-September, Houthi forces seized Mocha, a Yemeni port, and strategic islands in the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a route for global oil shipments. Forces opposing the Houthis subsequently stabilised the front lines. Late last month, the Houthis claimed attacks on Aramco facilities at Yanbu, on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted 6 ballistic missiles directed towards Taif and Yanbu, with no damage to Aramco sites.[2], [1]
