Yemen’s Houthis have intensified attacks on Saudi Arabia, with a strike on a Saudi Aramco administrative building in Dhahran causing a small fire, according to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy. No injuries were reported.
The escalation follows Saudi-led coalition strikes on Houthi-controlled facilities in Yemen, including an oil company site in the capital, Sanaa. The Houthis have threatened to target Saudi Aramco installations in retaliation, warning civilians and employees to evacuate sites they consider legitimate military targets.
Saudi Arabia’s military coalition said it intercepted and destroyed three cruise missiles and two drones targeting Riyadh and the kingdom’s southern region. A separate cruise missile was intercepted in Al-Kharj Governorate. Saudi civil defence officials said debris from two intercepted missiles injured four people, including two women and a child, in Riyadh and damaged 15 homes.
The developments have heightened concerns over regional security and energy infrastructure as attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz continue to threaten oil flows.
Trump accuses Houthis of acting at Iran’s behest
US President Donald Trump accused Yemen’s Houthis of trying to drive up oil prices and claimed they were attacking Saudi Arabia at Iran’s direction.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the group had re-emerged after a period of relative inactivity and suggested its actions were intended to influence oil markets ahead of the US elections.
He also warned Tehran against further escalation, claiming the Houthis had previously been deterred by US bombing campaigns. Trump offered no evidence in the post to substantiate his assertion that Iran was directing the attacks.
Hormuz tensions deepen as shipping attacks intensify
US Central Command rejected Iran’s claim that it controls the Strait of Hormuz, saying American forces and regional partners maintained control of the strategic waterway. Centcom said US forces had helped Gulf partners transport more than 19 million barrels of crude oil through the strait in a single day.
The claims came as the British maritime agency UKMTO reported that a tanker and a container ship had been struck by projectiles of unknown origin in the strait. An investigation was under way, with no immediate confirmation of damage or casualties.
A Financial Times report, citing maritime security data, said attacks on ships in and around the strait had reached their highest intensity in the two weeks to 11 October since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran began seven months ago. Six vessels were reportedly attacked on Sunday alone, while oil shipments through Hormuz fell to 2.9 million barrels on 11 October, according to Kpler.
Oman and Iran discuss regional de-escalation
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi discussed Yemen and wider regional developments in a telephone call, according to a statement published on Araghchi’s Telegram channel.
The ministers explored ways to achieve peace and stability amid mounting tensions over the Strait of Hormuz. Oman and Iran had agreed in June to establish a joint working group to negotiate the future management of navigation through the waterway under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
Fresh casualties reported in Yemen
Yemen’s Houthi-affiliated health ministry reported that artillery shelling killed one person and injured two others in the al-Waqr area of Shadaa District. Separately, two people were killed in an explosion involving unexploded ordnance in Beit Bish, near Al-Rawn, in Hays District.
The ministry had also reported two deaths and two injuries in a Saudi-led attack on an oil facility in Ras Isa, Hodeidah Governorate.
UK condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office called on the Houthis to stop what it described as reckless attacks on Saudi infrastructure and civilians. UK Middle East minister Stephen Doughty discussed the situation with Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed al-Khereiji and Yemen’s Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba.
Iran summons British ambassador over airbase allegations
Iran summoned the British ambassador after allegations that Tehran may have been involved in a suspected plot targeting Fairford air base, which has been used by US bombers conducting strikes on Iran. Tehran denied any connection and demanded that Britain provide evidence supporting the allegations.
