Iran-backed Houthi forces continued their attacks on Saudi oil facilities and aviation infrastructure on Thursday, killing two people in a strike targeting King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, according to Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority.
The Houthis, whom Washington designate as a terrorist groups, said Thursday that they had also attacked the Saudi Defense Ministry headquarters in Riyadh and facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu.
Saudi officials had not immediately confirmed the reported attacks. But sources told Reuters that Aramco had asked employees to evacuate its headquarters in Dhahran.
The evacuation request was the first of its kind since the war with Iran began in February.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led military coalition said Thursday that it had intercepted and destroyed four drones over the Riyadh and Medina regions.
Previous attacks on airports in Riyadh, Abha and Dammam have killed at least 20 people and injured hundreds more.
On Wednesday, the State Department ordered nonessential U.S. government personnel and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia.
A senior U.S. administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told MBN that officials feared that “hostilities by the Houthis” could escalate rapidly and spread beyond the areas directly affected.
Earlier this month, the Houthis published the coordinates of an airport, the Riyadh refinery and Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran before successfully striking the sites.
Tough to Defend
Saudi Arabia’s vast territory, covering more than 1.3 million square miles, presents a major challenge for its air defense systems. The wide geographic distribution of oil facilities and fields also makes them more difficult to defend against Houthi missiles and drones.
About three weeks ago, Yemen’s internationally recognized government launched a military operation, backed by Saudi Arabia, to retake territory from the Houthis.
Since the operation began, the Houthis have intensified their attacks on the kingdom. One strike on Oct.10 killed 13 people and injured more than 300 at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, marking the deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.
Saad Al-Hamed, an academic specializing in international relations at King Saud University, said Saudi Arabia was pursuing several approaches simultaneously, including political pressure, mediation efforts and diplomatic initiatives, alongside military operations on the ground.
In comments to MBN, Al-Hamed said it was unreasonable to expect the Houthis to stop retaliating against attacks aimed at eliminating their capabilities.
He added that some people failed to grasp that Saudi Arabia had already entered a “state of war,” pointing to the current pattern of repeated attacks and the interception and downing of drones and missiles.
Adapted and translated from the original Arabic.
