On the evening of Tuesday, October 13, an administrative building of Aramco in Dhahran was targeted, and the Ministry of Energy said the fire was limited with no injuries (Saudi Press Agency, Okaz, Al-Watan, Saudi Gazette). Bloomberg said a Houthi missile hit the headquarters, Reuters quoted three sources as saying the damage is extensive and the fire spread across several floors, and Financial Juice said staff were asked to work from home. Civil Defense announced four injured and damage to 15 homes in Riyadh from shrapnel of two intercepted cruise missiles. The Houthi spokesman described their targets as Dhahran, King Khalid Airport and a refinery in Riyadh and vowed more (Financial Juice, Reuters). Shrapnel from an intercepted ballistic missile hit an Arab resident in Riyadh (Saudi Gazette, BBC). The coalition announced early Thursday the interception of 14 missiles and drones (Asharq Al-Awsat), then a drone in the Eastern Province (Okaz, Financial Juice). We found no Saudi confirmation that the refinery or the airport was hit.
The strikes are turning from an incident into a campaign that hits energy and aviation together, and they are now measured by the confidence of markets and travel companies as much as by announced losses.
If you are in Riyadh or the Eastern Province, follow Civil Defense and official alerts, check your flight status with the carrier, and do not post clips or figures that a reliable source has not confirmed.
Saudi authorities and the coalition say the damage is limited and that the defenses are intercepting the attacks, and they describe them as terrorist.
The Houthis say their operations against airports and oil facilities will continue, and the Financial Times says the kingdom is struggling to keep pace with their methods despite heavy defense spending.
The gap between the ministry’s description (an administrative building and a limited fire) and what Reuters relayed from sources (extensive damage) can be settled only by a detailed statement, and we treat the two accounts as not matching. Today we are watching three things: the damage statement in Dhahran, the status of King Khalid Airport, and whether the phrase “in the coming days” is followed by new attacks.
Saudi Press Agency, Okaz, Al-Watan, Saudi Gazette, Bloomberg, Reuters, Financial Juice, Associated Press, BBC, Asharq Al-Awsat, Financial Times, CNN Arabic (October 13–15, 2026)
Houthis vow to keep targeting airports and oil facilities; Reuters: extensive damage at Aramco’s Dhahran headquarters, and shrapnel from a ballistic missile hits a resident in Riyadh
The Ministry of Energy described what happened in Dhahran as a limited fire in an administrative building with no injuries, while Reuters quoted three sources as saying the fire spread across several floors. The coalition announced early Thursday that it intercepted 14 missiles and drones.
On the evening of Tuesday, October 13, an administrative building belonging to Aramco in Dhahran, in the Eastern Province, was targeted, causing a limited fire with no injuries, according to an official source at the Ministry of Energy who said the competent authorities had begun dealing with the incident, as relayed by the Saudi Press Agency, Okaz, Al-Watan and Saudi Gazette. Reuters had cited sources as saying a loud blast was heard in Dhahran near the headquarters. Bloomberg, citing people familiar, said a Houthi missile hit the headquarters and a fire broke out in part of the compound. The next day Reuters quoted three sources as saying the headquarters suffered extensive damage and the fire spread across several floors, and Financial Juice reported, citing two sources, that the company asked its employees to work from home while operations continue normally. We found no official statement specifying the extent of the damage, and we do not know whether the administrative building the ministry mentioned is the part the sources described.
In Riyadh, Civil Defense announced that shrapnel from two cruise missiles intercepted by air defenses on Tuesday hit four people, two women, a man and a child, and caused limited damage to 15 homes, according to the Saudi Press Agency, Okaz and Saudi Gazette. Residents of the capital then heard new explosions on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press, and the coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile that the Houthis launched toward Riyadh, according to Financial Juice. Civil Defense later announced that an Arab resident was hurt by shrapnel from an intercepted ballistic missile, which damaged a house and a car, according to Saudi Gazette, and the BBC carried the same report.
The Houthi military spokesman said their forces targeted Aramco in Dhahran, King Khalid Airport and an Aramco refinery in Riyadh, and that their operations against airports and oil facilities will continue in the coming days, according to Financial Juice and Reuters. We found no Saudi confirmation that the refinery or the airport was hit. The coalition announced early Thursday, according to Asharq Al-Awsat, the interception and destruction of 14 missiles and drones, including ballistic and winged missiles aimed at Riyadh, al-Kharj and the Eastern Province, then the interception of a drone in the Eastern Province, according to Okaz and Financial Juice. The coalition had announced on Tuesday night the destruction of two ballistic missiles, four cruise missiles and six drones, according to Asharq Al-Awsat, and we do not know whether Thursday’s figure includes what it announced on Tuesday night.
What was confirmed by an official Saudi announcement: an administrative building in Dhahran was targeted and a limited fire broke out, four people were injured in Riyadh by shrapnel from two cruise missiles, and an Arab resident was injured by shrapnel from a ballistic missile. What was not officially confirmed: the extent of the damage at the headquarters, the Houthi claims about the refinery and the airport, and the overall tally of interceptions.
Readings differ on the performance of the defenses: the Financial Times said the kingdom is one of the world’s largest arms buyers but is struggling to keep pace with the Houthis’ methods, and CNN Arabic presented an analysis of why the targeting succeeded despite tens of billions spent on defense each year. In DailyDrop’s reading, the threat has moved from a single documented strike to a graduated campaign that hits airports and energy together, and its impact is hard to measure while damage figures are missing. Today we are following: a statement on the damage in Dhahran, the status of King Khalid Airport, and whether the Houthis’ vow is followed by new attacks.