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The directive followed a Houthi strike earlier this month that caused extensive damage to the headquarters building with fire spreading across several floors, three people with direct knowledge of the incident told Reuters. The complex contains an operations centre that coordinates the company’s onshore and offshore oil rigs, refineries, export terminals and thousands of kilometres of pipelines. Aramco did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the news agency.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation reported that two people were killed and eight injured in an attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Wednesday. Dammam is located around 15 kilometres north of Dhahran. The energy ministry said two more people died after air defences intercepted a drone attempting to strike a facility at Aramco’s Shaybah oilfield hundreds of kilometres to the southeast.
Reuters reported that the evacuation marked the first time Aramco had ordered staff out of its headquarters since the start of the Iran war. The clashes between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s recognised government have intensified since the group advanced toward the Bab el-Mandeb shipping chokepoint. Saudi Arabia has responded with strikes on Houthi missile launcher sites and has said it intercepted many ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-aligned group.
Most staff had already been working remotely since the October headquarters attack with only essential personnel remaining on site before the full evacuation order, three sources familiar with the matter told AFP. Bloomberg separately reported that the move followed an alarm at the complex though the cause was not immediately known. Neither Aramco nor the Saudi energy ministry responded to requests for comment on the alarm.
The renewed Yemen conflict began in September 2026 and has seen the Houthis claim attacks on the Saudi defence ministry in Riyadh as well as Aramco facilities in Yanbu though Saudi authorities have not confirmed those specific strikes. The group has also said it is involved in a rescue operation for a boat carrying 14 Indians in the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia’s actions form part of efforts to counter threats to the kingdom’s energy infrastructure and broader security.
