A fire at the Dhahran complex
Missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi movement hit the headquarters of Saudi Aramco in the eastern city of Dhahran, two regional officials said. A fire broke out in part of the complex. The strike damaged the offices of the state oil company's chief executive and other top staff, according to the officials, who described the blaze as limited.
Aramco is the world's largest oil company, and its Dhahran complex handles much of the group's central operations. The Houthis had already told employees and civilians near Aramco facilities and airports to leave, calling the sites a legitimate target.
Interceptors and injuries in Riyadh
Four people were hurt in the Saudi capital when debris from intercepted missiles fell on the city, authorities said. The Houthis said they aimed at King Khalid International Airport and a refinery linked to Aramco in Riyadh.
The Saudi-led coalition answered with strikes of its own. Its spokesperson said warplanes hit a fuel depot near Sanaa, the Houthi-held capital. Earlier, the Houthi-run health ministry said two people were killed in a coalition strike on an oil facility near the Ras Isa port in Hodeida province.
Both sides dig in
The Houthis described the launches as retaliation for what they called treacherous Saudi aggression against Sanaa and other areas. The group's military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, warned that any further strikes on the capital would bring a harsh and painful response in Riyadh.
The exchanges follow a large military offensive that the kingdom launched about a week and a half ago in support of Yemen's internationally recognised government. The country has been divided by war for more than a decade, and the past two weeks have brought the fighting closer to energy infrastructure on both sides of the border.
Saudi Arabia's cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said the Houthis would bear the consequences of their recent attacks. The kingdom has promised publicly that oil exports will keep running, and traders are watching whether the strikes touch loading terminals on the Gulf coast rather than the offices of the national oil company.