Footage shows damage to Aramco tower as Houthis claim Riyadh attack

The BBC said footage it authenticated showed shattered windows on several levels of the Aramco tower in the King Abdullah Financial District, with at least one floor appearing badly damaged. CNN also said it had verified video showing damage to several floors. The footage adds detail to earlier witness reports of damage.

Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry said falling shrapnel had caused minor damage to an Aramco administrative building in Riyadh on Sunday, with no injuries or deaths reported. The ministry’s statement did not name the tower, although the BBC identified it as the building concerned.

A witness told AFP they saw a projectile hit the tower but could not identify its type. It remains unclear whether the damage was caused by a direct hit or falling debris.

The Houthis said they had targeted the financial district, Riyadh’s airport, Aramco oil storage tanks and the eastern city of Abqaiq. The BBC reported that the group’s statement referred to an attack on the business district on Saturday and did not name the tower. The relationship between that claim and the damage remains unclear.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said it had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched towards Riyadh.

The Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia resumed hostilities in July, after a 2022 truce had largely halted fighting. The United Nations says more than 1,600 people have been killed and more than 300,000 displaced in Yemen since fighting resumed.