Saudi official inspects Aramco Riyadh office after Houthi attack

Nov 10 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s deputy governor of Riyadh inspected an Aramco administrative building in the capital that was damaged in an attack by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group, state news agency SPA reported early on Tuesday.

Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz said the attack underscored theHouthis’ targeting of civilian facilities, SPA said. He directed authorities to provide support for Aramco employees.

Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry had reported on Sunday limited damage to the Aramco Tower in the capital’s financial district, with no injuries or fatalities, without identifying those responsible.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, as they have stepped up strikes on Saudi infrastructure amid the wider US-Israeli war with Iran.

The Houthis have ramped up strikes on Aramco facilities in recent weeks, including the oil giant’s headquarters in Dhahran in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

Fighting between the Houthis and the coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognised government intensified after the Houthis advanced in September toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic shipping chokepoint on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz.

Saudi Arabia said on Monday that its East-West oil pipeline was struck in the Medina region, causing a limited fire that was later extinguished. The attack caused no casualties and did not affect pipeline operations, SPA said.

(Reporting by Enas Alashray; editing by Lincoln Feast.)