Aramco orders Dhahran HQ evacuation as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia escalate

Saudi oil company Aramco has told staff to evacuate its headquarters in Dhahran and work remotely, according to a Reuters report carried by The Jerusalem Post on Thursday, as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia escalate. TimesLIVE and the Pakistan Observer also reported the instruction. The reason for the order was not stated in the reports.

What we know

• The Jerusalem Post carried a Reuters report saying six people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Thursday that Aramco had told staff to evacuate its Dhahran headquarters.
• TimesLIVE, publishing a Reuters report, said it was the first time Aramco had asked staff to evacuate the headquarters since the start of the Iran war, and that the Houthis caused extensive damage to the building earlier this month, with fire spreading across several floors.
• The Jerusalem Post reported that Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised speech that the group had attacked Aramco facilities in the Red Sea city of Yanbu and the Saudi defense ministry in Riyadh.
• Al-Monitor reported that Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said two people, including an Indian national, were killed and eight injured in an attack at King Fahd International Airport in the eastern city of Dammam, and that operations resumed on Thursday.
• Al-Monitor also reported that Saudi air defenses intercepted a Houthi drone launched toward Aramco's Shaybah oil field on Wednesday, and that falling debris killed two people, a Filipino and a Nepali, according to the Saudi Ministry of Energy.
• The Pakistan Observer reported that Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index fell 2.5% on Thursday, while Brent crude climbed 2.81% to $111.88 per barrel.

What we don't know yet

• Why Aramco ordered the evacuation. The Jerusalem Post, citing Reuters, said it was unclear what the reason was, and the Pakistan Observer said the reason for the latest order remains unclear.
• Whether the Houthi attacks on Yanbu and Riyadh took place as claimed. The Jerusalem Post said Saudi authorities did not confirm the attack.
• What Aramco itself says about the order. The Jerusalem Post and TimesLIVE both said the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Background

Qatar Standard reported on 16 October that Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted the kingdom's right to defend its security after the UN Security Council issued a presidential statement condemning Houthi attacks on Saudi territory. Earlier reporting by Qatar Standard on 22 September said the Houthis had threatened strikes against Egyptian, Turkish and Pakistani interests as Saudi Arabia pressed its partners for military help against the group.