Yemen's Houthi rebels on Sunday claimed responsibility for an attack on Riyadh's financial district, with eyewitnesses reporting damage to a skyscraper belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco.

Aramco facilities have been repeatedly targeted by the Houthis in recent months, including oil tankers, refineries, storage facilities and the company's headquarters.

“Aramco tower in KAFD has been targeted, that's the sure thing,” an eyewitness told AFP, referring to the King Abdullah Financial District. Two other witnesses also confirmed seeing damage to the building.

An eyewitness near the Aramco skyscraper said they saw a projectile hit the building but could not identify the type of projectile.

The Iran-backed Houthis said in a statement that their forces had carried out four “qualitative military operations” using ballistic and cruise missiles and drones. They listed the financial district, Riyadh airport, Aramco oil storage tanks and the eastern Saudi city of Abqaiq among the targets.

The Saudi Energy Ministry said an administrative building belonging to Aramco in Riyadh had been subjected to an attempted attack.

“The incident resulted in falling shrapnel that caused minor damage to the building, with no injuries or fatalities reported, thankfully,” the ministry said.

A witness told AFP that several floors of the tower appeared to have been damaged, with shattered glass and visible damage to part of its facade. AFP could not independently verify the extent of the damage.

The King Abdullah Financial District is one of the most prominent symbols of Saudi Arabia's economic and social reform drive, featuring towering glass skyscrapers, high-end retail outlets and green spaces.

It houses some of the kingdom's largest home-grown companies and major international firms, including Goldman Sachs. The headquarters of the Public Investment Fund, the kingdom's influential sovereign wealth fund, and the Saudi stock exchange are also located in the district.

The area also has residential buildings and a major metro station that sees heavy commuter traffic during morning rush hours. An attack on the district would mark a significant escalation by the Houthis.

“I see this as an attack on the credibility of Vision 2030 as much as on Aramco itself,” Andreas Krieg of London-based risk consultancy MENA analytica told AFP, referring to Saudi Arabia's economic diversification plan.

“It raises the political costs of Saudi Arabia's Yemen campaign, strengthens those demanding military escalation and undermines the argument that Riyadh can restore deterrence through airpower. The Houthis are making Saudi Arabia's economic transformation hostage to an increasingly unwinnable war,” he said.

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry has repeatedly warned residents against filming or publishing images of drones, missiles, air defence interceptors and impact sites.

The attack came hours after the kingdom's Education Ministry announced the resumption of in-person classes in Riyadh following weeks of remote learning in the wake of an earlier wave of strikes.

Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki said forces had destroyed two ballistic missile launchers in Saada, northern Yemen, which he said had been used by the Houthis in Sunday's attempted attack on Riyadh.

Earlier, al-Malki said Saudi air defences had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched towards Riyadh, as loud explosions were heard across the capital.

The kingdom has been seeking support from its allies as it faces daily attacks by the Houthis.

Thousands of Syrian troops are expected to deploy to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, with some already on the ground, several Yemeni officials told AFP on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Iran on Sunday condemned recent Saudi strikes in Yemen, including attacks on a market in Taiz province and the village of Al-Shariyah that reportedly killed dozens of civilians, many of them women and children.

Iran's Foreign Ministry described the strikes as a “flagrant violation” of international humanitarian law and called for an immediate return to dialogue.

The United Nations says more than 1,600 people have been killed and over 300,000 displaced since fighting resumed in Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries.

A 2022 truce that had paused fighting in Yemen's long-running conflict collapsed in July after the Houthis allowed an Iranian aircraft to land in Sanaa, defying Saudi control over Yemeni airspace and triggering a new wave of attacks.

The Houthis later declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began targeting its ships, territory and oil facilities before launching a rapid campaign to seize Yemen's entire Red Sea coast.