RIYADH (The Thursday Times) — A large fire broke out at an industrial complex in Dammam in eastern Saudi Arabia on Sunday after what Iran’s official IRNA news agency described as a Yemeni strike. Saudi authorities had not commented, and the claim could not be independently verified.
“A Yemeni strike hit an industrial complex in Dammam, eastern Saudi Arabia, sparking a large fire at the facility,” IRNA said in a post on X, sharing footage of thick black smoke rising over the site. Iran’s Mehr news agency carried a similar report. Neither gave the name of the complex or any details of casualties or damage.
Dammam lies on the Gulf coast, on the far side of Saudi Arabia from Yemen, in the Eastern Province that is home to much of the country’s oil industry. The Houthis have previously claimed attacks in the province, including on Ras Tanura and Abqaiq.
The Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia have traded near-daily attacks since a 2022 truce collapsed in July. The Houthis have also claimed attacks on Saudi airports, and strikes on Riyadh airport forced its closure for two weeks. Saudi air defences recently downed a drone aimed at the Makkah region, an attack Pakistan condemned at the United Nations.
The Houthis said on Thursday that Saudi strikes on homes in western Yemen had killed 12 people, a claim that could not be verified. The UN says the renewed fighting has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and killed more than 1,600.
