STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Saudi Arabia issued new security alerts across its southern regions and has been intercepting missiles targeting its capital.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
But the Saudis were not able to stave off an attack on the offices of its state-owned oil giant. That attack came after Saudi fighter jets hit energy sites in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
INSKEEP: NPR's Aya Batrawy is covering all this from Dubai. Hi there.
AYA BATRAWY, BYLINE: Hey, Steve.
INSKEEP: OK. How can you describe these latest attacks?
BATRAWY: It was very significant because Tuesday, what happened is the offices of Aramco in Dhahran where its headquarters are were hit. Now, the Saudi Energy Ministry says a limited fire broke out after an attack. And it did not mention the Houthis. But the group confirmed using drones and missiles in its attacks Tuesday on Saudi Arabia, including on Aramco in Dhahran. And with the exception of acknowledging a few hits, the Saudi Energy Ministry has not really been commenting on Houthi claims of near-daily attacks on various Saudi energy sites.
But this was different, Steve, because it was Aramco's administrative offices. And this company is the backbone of the Saudi economy, its main source of revenue. This attack is not just a hit on the nerve center of the Saudi economy, but it comes just days after the deadliest attack on the kingdom in more than a decade. The Houthis hit the airport in the capital, Riyadh, killing more than a dozen and wounding hundreds, shutting down that airport since Saturday.
INSKEEP: Why are the Houthis choosing these targets, according to them?
BATRAWY: So the Houthis, who are backed by Iran, say they were striking Aramco's offices in response to Saudi jets bombing an oil facility in Yemen's capital of Sanaa and other fuel sites Tuesday. And the Houthis and Saudis both say they struck each other's oil sites because they're used to support military operations. The Saudis are carrying out a major offensive with Yemeni government forces against the Houthis. And the Houthis say Saudi Arabia has launched more than 2,000 airstrikes on Yemen in past weeks, killing civilians. U.N. agencies say some 200,000 people have been displaced by the fighting in southern Yemen, with hundreds of thousands more losing access to aid because roads are cut off.
INSKEEP: So a lot of people are affected here. Is anyone trying to stop all this?
BATRAWY: Well, there are some regional countries trying to mediate. But there's no easy way out for Saudi Arabia. The Houthis have expanded control along the Red Sea in Yemen and are able to repeatedly hit Saudi oil refineries, gas fields, air bases, airports and now Aramco's main offices. President Trump wrote on Truth Social after Tuesday's attacks that the Houthis are behaving very badly. And he says they're trying to drive up oil prices before the U.S. midterm elections.
But he hasn't committed to taking any specific action. And so the real question for Saudi Arabia is how to weather these various Gulf wars. Saudi analyst Hesham Alghannam told me Saudi Arabia is expanding its security ties with countries like Turkey and Pakistan right now, which are providing military support to Riyadh. But he says Riyadh also has to use diplomacy.
HESHAM ALGHANNAM: This is especially crucial and true with Iran. So talking to Iran does not mean trusting Iran. It means keeping a channel open in case there is a wider crisis. You know what? When trust is low, having this active channel can actually become more important.
BATRAWY: And, Steve, on Sunday, we saw that channel being used. The Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers said they spoke by phone about the recent escalations. But there is still no sign of a truce on the horizon.
INSKEEP: OK. NPR's Aya Batrawy in Dubai. Thanks so much.
BATRAWY: Thanks, Steve. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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