A large plume of thick black smoke was seen near Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Saturday after Saudi authorities issued air raid alerts warning residents of a potential aerial threat.
Explosions were heard in parts of the Saudi capital before the authorities issued an all-clear. Firefighters were later seen battling flames near a fuel storage area close to the airport.
Saudi Civil Defence had sent emergency alerts to residents of Riyadh and the nearby city of Al-Kharj during the night, advising people to remain indoors because of the reported aerial threat.
The warnings were lifted on Saturday morning, although residents were urged to avoid gathering in crowds.
The incident caused significant disruption at Riyadh’s main airport, with flight-tracking data showing extensive delays and cancellations.
The source of the explosions and fire was not immediately confirmed by Saudi authorities. Reports from the area, however, indicated that a fuel tank belonging to Saudi oil company Aramco had caught fire near the airport.
The developments came amid a sharp escalation in fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement, which controls large parts of northern Yemen.
The Houthis later claimed responsibility for attacks targeting what they described as sensitive sites in Riyadh as well as facilities belonging to Aramco in Yanbu, a major Red Sea port and oil hub. The claims could not immediately be independently verified.
The group said it had used a combination of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones in the attacks.
The Saudi government had not publicly confirmed the Houthis’ account or provided a detailed explanation of what caused the fire near the airport.
The latest incident marks the first time Saudi authorities have issued an air raid alert for Riyadh since fighting with the Houthis intensified in July, adding to concerns over the widening impact of the conflict.
The timing is particularly significant because Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea infrastructure plays an important role in the country’s energy exports. Yanbu, which was also mentioned in the Houthi claims, hosts major oil facilities and an export terminal connected to the kingdom’s East-West pipeline.
The United Nations Security Council on Friday condemned continued Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, including strikes affecting civilian and energy infrastructure. The council also called for measures to prevent the group from obtaining weapons and other military assistance.
Saudi Arabia has previously intercepted missiles and drones launched towards its territory, but Saturday’s alerts and the visible smoke near the capital’s airport underscored the growing security concerns around the kingdom’s major population and transport centres.
Authorities continued to assess the situation as emergency crews worked to contain the fire, while airport operations faced disruption following the overnight alerts and explosions.
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