Fire and smoke reported at Aramco facility near Riyadh

Flames and smoke were seen rising from a facility belonging to Saudi oil company Aramco south of Riyadh on Saturday, an AFP journalist reported. The circumstances surrounding the incident were not immediately clear. The report came amid a series of recent attacks claimed by the Houthi group against Saudi targets.

The Houthis have been targeting the kingdom as part of the war in Yemen, where Riyadh supports the internationally recognised government. Last month, the Houthis said they had launched strikes against what they called sensitive sites in Riyadh and Aramco facilities in Yanbu, a Saudi port city. In August, they also said they had targeted an airport and an Aramco facility in the southern Saudi region of Najran.

The available material does not establish whether Saturday’s flames were caused by an attack, an accident or another incident. It also provides no information on casualties, damage or disruption to operations at the facility. Aramco is majority-owned by the Saudi state and is central to the Saudi economy.

It is also one of the world’s largest companies by market capitalisation. The Houthis announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia in July and said they had hit Saudi tankers in the Red Sea. That development raised questions about Saudi Arabia’s ability to continue delivering large volumes of crude to international markets.

Yemen has been embroiled in more than a decade of civil war. On Saturday, loud explosions were heard in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, according to AFP correspondents. The Houthis reported air strikes in the area by forces backed by Saudi Arabia, but the source material gives no further details.