Houthis Claim Attack on Saudi Capital as Explosions Rock Riyadh

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh's airport and financial district, further disrupting daily life in the kingdom, the world's largest oil exporter.

Explosions were heard across the Saudi capital in the early hours of Tuesday, while residents received mobile phone alerts warning of an "aerial threat" and advising them to seek shelter. The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched towards Riyadh.

The incident came just two days after the Houthis struck a major blow by hitting a skyscraper belonging to oil giant Aramco in Riyadh's prominent financial district.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Tuesday's operations also targeted pumping stations along the East-West oil pipeline in Riyadh, an Aramco facility in the eastern Abqaiq region and Saudi troops operating in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia has faced almost daily Houthi attacks since early October, including deadly strikes that forced Riyadh airport to shut down for two weeks.

A ceasefire in Yemen's prolonged conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government collapsed in July. Meanwhile, schoolchildren in Riyadh returned to online classes on Tuesday after spending just two days back in classrooms. Authorities described the move as part of continuing precautionary measures in a message sent to parents on Monday evening.

Saudi authorities said on Monday that the East-West oil pipeline, which connects the kingdom's oil-producing regions to the Red Sea, had come under attack in the Medina region.

However, Houthi spokesman Saree dismissed the Saudi account as "a blatant lie", claiming that the pipeline attack had taken place in Riyadh rather than Medina.

The pipeline has become increasingly important for Saudi oil exports since Iran began disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz in response to US-Israeli military strikes.

Visible Damage to Riyadh's Financial District

The Houthi attacks have raised concerns over Saudi Arabia's efforts to diversify its oil-dependent economy by attracting foreign investment and expanding its tourism, entertainment and leisure industries.

Riyadh's King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), featuring towering glass skyscrapers, luxury retail outlets and landscaped green spaces, represents one of the most prominent symbols of the kingdom's economic transformation.

Photographs released by Saudi Arabia's official news agency on Tuesday showed officials inspecting the distinctively designed Aramco Tower, where several floors appeared to have sustained visible damage.

Saudi authorities had previously said the building was struck by falling debris following an attempted attack.

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted Aramco's oil tankers, refineries, storage facilities and corporate headquarters in Dhahran, located along Saudi Arabia's eastern Gulf coast.

In retaliation, the Saudi-led coalition has continued conducting airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen, with the group reporting dozens of fatalities in some attacks.

On Tuesday, the Houthis' news agency reported that Saudi warplanes had carried out multiple airstrikes on Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and surrounding areas, targeting a gas facility and a building belonging to the country's state-owned oil company.

Yemen's Houthi-run health ministry said one person was killed and three others injured in the strike on the gas facility.

The Saudi-led coalition launched its military campaign against the Houthis in March 2015, months after the group captured Sanaa and ousted Yemen's internationally recognised government.