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florence freeman
On the 7th, the Aramco Tower, a skyscraper in the central financial district of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, was bombed by Yemen's Houthi rebels.
The Houthi-controlled Sabah News Agency said the group had targeted Riyadh's business district on the 7th, but did not name Aramco Tower.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy said the damage to the building was "minor" and there were no casualties.
Footage seen by BBC Verify shows widespread damage to the building, with at least one floor appearing to have been severely damaged by a missile or drone strike.
The airstrike also appears to have broken windows on several floors.
The Houthis also said they targeted Riyadh airport and Saudi Arabia's state oil company Aramco's oil storage facilities in separate attacks. Saudi Arabia announced that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed several missiles.
The Houthis frequently carry out attacks deep inside Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has struggled to contain the Houthis in recent months.
The Houthis had accused the Saudi-led coalition of airstrikes in Yemen the day before, killing at least 33 people, including women and children.
Footage broadcast by the Houthi-run Almasira television station showed rescue workers removing bodies from the rubble of several buildings in al-Shariya, east of the capital Sanaa.
According to Sabah news agency, 39 people were injured in the attack. Saudi Arabia has not commented.
Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis ousted the internationally recognized government from Sanaa. The Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Houthis for more than a decade in support of Yemen's government, which has lost most of its territory to the Houthis.
In 2022, an unofficial ceasefire took effect between the coalition and the Houthis, and the conflict has largely subsided in recent years. However, when the United States and Israel began war with Iran, fighting intensified again. The Houthis are backed by Iran.
In July of this year, the Houthis announced a "maritime blockade" against Saudi Arabia. An unofficial ceasefire was broken after Saudi Arabia launched missile and drone attacks on airports, oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea.
More than 1,600 people have been killed and more than 300,000 displaced since fighting resumed, according to the United Nations.
(English article: Aramco Tower hit in heart of Saudi capital as Houthis launch fresh strikes)
