Saudi Aramco tells staff to leave Dhahran headquarters and work remotely

Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Aramco instructed employees to leave its headquarters and switch to remote work, six people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The decision followed an attack at a nearby airport a day earlier that killed two people.

First headquarters evacuation since war began

Aramco had not previously ordered an evacuation of its headquarters since the Iran war began. The reason for the decision remained unclear, and the company had not immediately answered a request for comment.

Earlier this month, a strike by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis severely damaged the headquarters, three people with firsthand knowledge told Reuters. They said flames spread through multiple floors.

The headquarters contains an operations centre used by Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, to monitor rigs both offshore and on land, along with refineries, terminals for exports and pipelines stretching thousands of kilometres.

Fatal attacks at airport and oilfield

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said on Thursday that an attack the previous evening at King Fahd International Airport left two people dead and eight wounded. The airport is in Dammam, an eastern Saudi oil hub about 15 km (9 miles) north of Dhahran.

In a separate incident on Wednesday, two people died after Saudi air defences intercepted a drone targeting a facility at Aramco’s Shaybah oilfield, according to the energy ministry. The oilfield lies hundreds of kilometres southeast of Dhahran.

Saudi Arabia seeks allied support

In response to Houthi attacks, Saudi Arabia has carried out a series of strikes against missile-launching sites. The kingdom has pledged to defend its territory and says its forces have intercepted numerous ballistic missiles launched by the group.

Saudi Arabia has sought broader backing from allies for its military campaign against the Houthis and assistance in countering their drone and missile attacks.

Washington, the kingdom’s closest ally and longstanding security guarantor, has so far rejected Saudi attempts to secure its direct involvement in the war against the Houthis.