The Current Affairs Digest · ages 15+ · 2026-10-15
Houthi Missile Strikes Aramco in Dhahran as Saudi Arabia Hits Sanaa
The Houthis vow more attacks on Saudi airports and oil sites; Mr Trump says the US “may” join the Saudi side.
Yemen’s war has been spilling into Saudi Arabia. The Houthis, a Yemeni armed group, are fighting Yemen’s government, which a Saudi-led coalition supports. On Saturday 10 October a missile hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 300, according to Saudi civil aviation authorities. A projectile hit Terminal 4 on Sunday, and Saudi aviation extended the airport’s closure through 17 October.
The latest strike hit the energy sector. On Tuesday a ballistic missile struck Saudi Aramco’s Dhahran complex. The Saudi Energy Ministry and state news said an administrative building was hit, causing a “limited fire” and no injuries. The Houthis claimed it and vowed more attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities. In Riyadh, shrapnel from two intercepted cruise missiles injured four people and damaged about 15 homes, according to Saudi Civil Defense.
Saudi Arabia has hit back. It struck an oil facility near Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, and fuel depots elsewhere on Tuesday. The coalition says the Houthis use a Sanaa power plant, fuel storage and piers in Hodeidah, Sanaa and Dhamar to support attacks, and told civilians to leave an oil depot in Sanaa. A Houthi spokesman has threatened a “harsh and painful response” against Riyadh if Sanaa is attacked. The coalition called the airport attack a “fully-fledged war crime”.
The question now is whether Washington joins in. Mr Trump said the US is considering joining Saudi military operations: “We may. We’re gonna look at it.” He has blamed Iran for the Houthis’ resurgence. A Houthi official has threatened US interests if America joins. The World Health Organization says suspected cholera cases in Yemen have tripled in recent weeks.
Why it matters
Airports and oil facilities are the arteries of a region’s economy. Attacks on both raise the risk that a civil war widens into a regional one and that energy prices climb further.
THE RED SEA. Saudi Arabia and Yemen share the Red Sea’s eastern shore, opposite Africa.