Yemen’s Houthi movement claimed missile and drone strikes on Riyadh and Yanbu on Saturday, hours after thick black smoke and flames were filmed near the Saudi capital’s international airport following overnight air raid alerts. Saudi authorities have not officially commented on the reported strikes or the airport fire.
Smoke Rises Near Riyadh Airport as Air Raid Alerts Lift
A massive pillar of black smoke and visible flames erupted near the international airport on Saturday morning. Eyewitnesses and journalists reported seeing fire near fuel tanks, while flight-tracking data showed significant disruptions, cancellations, and long delays at the airport. An AFP journalist at the scene reported seeing firefighters attempting to extinguish flames from a burnt-out fuel tank belonging to Saudi state oil and gas company Aramco. Residents also told AFP they had heard what sounded like a series of explosions after the alerts were issued. In the direction of the airport we saw black smoke and fire,
one resident told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The incident followed a series of emergency phone alerts sent overnight by Saudi Civil Defence warning residents of potential aerial attacks in Riyadh and Al-Kharj, a city east of the capital. Residents in the capital reported hearing loud booms before an all-clear was issued on Saturday morning. A Reuters journalist in Riyadh’s Olaya area heard booms before the all-clear was sent. Although some alerts had been issued in Riyadh this year after the start of the US-Iran war, these were the first since the escalation began with the Houthis in July.
Houthi Claims and Red Sea Maritime Escalation
Hours after the smoke cleared near the airport, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced that the group had executed a large-scale military operation. Speaking via Telegram, the spokesman stated that the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out two successful military operations using a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones targeting sensitive sites in Riyadh alongside Aramco facilities in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu.
Yahya al-Sarea, Houthi military spokesman
The group asserted that the operation was in response to the Saudi enemy’s criminal attempts to target the Yemeni capital Sanaa, where Saree had earlier accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out 300 strikes across Yemen during the past week. The Houthis are locked in a civil war with Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia. The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen and much of the north, have been launching attacks against Saudi Arabia since declaring a naval blockade against the country in July, and said this week that they were responsible for downing a Saudi fighter jet over Yemen.
International Condemnation and Regional Diplomacy
The United Nations Security Council issued a strong condemnation on Friday regarding the regional escalation. In an official statement, the body condemned in the strongest terms continued Houthi attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including attacks impacting civilian and energy infrastructure, which have resulted in the injury of civilians, including women and children.
Human Toll and Unconfirmed Saudi Silence
As of Saturday afternoon, there was no immediate comment from the Saudi government’s media office in response to Reuters questions about the smoke and the overnight alerts, nor was there any immediate Saudi confirmation of the Houthis’ claims of attacks. The wider civil conflict running parallel to these cross-border strikes continues to exact a severe humanitarian toll; the International Organization for Migration reported that displacement figures resulting from recent fighting crossed 104,796 people, while unconfirmed agency reports noted dozens of casualties from ground clashes elsewhere in Yemen.