Houthi Missile Attack Damages Aramco Tower in Riyadh Financial District; No Injuries Reported

A Houthi missile attack on Riyadh on Sunday, November 8, damaged the Aramco tower in the King Abdullah Financial District, and Saudi officials said no one was killed or injured. Saudi Arabia's energy ministry said the building suffered minor damage from falling shrapnel after Saudi forces intercepted the missiles. The Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted missiles launched by the group, and multiple witnesses told AFP the tower was hit, with two confirming damage. Witnesses told Reuters of several booms across the capital, and Saudi Civil Defense issued alerts, including in Dhahran, home of Aramco's headquarters. A 2022 truce collapsed in July, and the Iran-backed Houthis have since struck Saudi airports, energy infrastructure and military sites. Separately, Syrian officials told the Associated Press that Syrian military advisers are already in Saudi Arabia and 600 special forces are due next week, after President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited Riyadh and Saudi Arabia pledged $403m in loans.

The New York Post, on the right, leads with the strike and repeats the energy ministry's minor-damage account. It adds viral video it says shows extensive damage across several floors, with shattered windows and hanging debris. It also reports that employees have been working from home, that the Houthis claimed several Aramco attacks over the weekend, and it calls the group a terror organization. The New York Times, on the left, headlines the damage and the Houthi attack on Riyadh. Its excerpt centers on the Saudi statement that falling shrapnel hit the tower and nobody was hurt, and notes the district is among the Houthis' highest-profile targets. It gives no video or Houthi claims. Both agree on the shrapnel and the absence of casualties. They differ in that the Post stresses visible damage and Houthi claims, while the Times stresses the official account. The Hindu relies on witnesses and calls the strike a possible major escalation, and Al Jazeera takes a distinct angle on Syrian troops.