Loud explosions reported near Saudi Aramco headquarters and Riyadh
Witnesses heard loud booms around Saudi Aramco's Dhahran campus, which had been evacuated, and later in Riyadh, according to multiple sources.
Six sources said powerful noises were heard near the Saudi Aramco headquarters in Dhahran, prompting an evacuation of the site. One source mentioned smoke emerging from the complex. The company has not issued an official statement. Subsequently, Saudi civil defense warned of possible danger in Riyadh, where another boom was reported.
Why it matters
The incident raises safety concerns for a major energy producer and could affect regional security.
How this story developed
- Oct 5 Yemeni government troops capture key positions on Bab el-Mandeb Strait
- Oct 11 He also named King Fahd Airport in Dammam, an Aramco‑affiliated petrol station and a refinery in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region as targets.
- Oct 11 A second projectile hit the airport a day after the missile strike, raising the death toll to 13.
- Oct 12 A Pakistani national died in the latest projectile strike.
- Oct 12 The Omani embassy thanked Saudi authorities for the medical care provided to an injured Omani doctor.
- Oct 12 Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey demanded an immediate and unconditional halt to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
- Oct 12 Saudi officials announced the continued closure of King Khalid International Airport pending safety inspections.
- Oct 12 Saudi authorities have extended the shutdown of King Khalid International Airport until Saturday after renewed Houthi missile and drone strikes, prompting airlines to cancel flights to and from Riyadh.
- Oct 12 Airport shutdown extended to Oct 17 for safety checks.
- Oct 13 Delta postponed its inaugural Atlanta‑Riyadh flight.
- Oct 13 Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported hitting a supertanker attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz.
- Oct 13 At midnight, air raids struck Sanaa following Rashid al-Alimi’s launch of Operation Dawn of Yemen, aimed at retaking the city from the Houthis. A strike in Sa’wan killed a child and injured seven others, while another hit the international airport, killing two workers. Residents report heightened anxiety, stockpiling food and fuel as displacement rises and humanitarian aid warns of worsening famine.
- Oct 13 Saudi civil defence alerts stopped operating before the attacks, leaving no public warnings.
- Oct 13 The coalition launched airstrikes on oil facilities west of Sanaa.
In this story
loud boomsexplosionevacuationsmokecivil defense alertSaudi Aramco headquarters
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