Houthis claim attacks on Saudi capital, after flames seen near Riyadh airport

On Saturday, the Yemeni Houthi militia claimed to have carried out attacks on "sensitive" sites in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, using missiles and drones. The attacks came after residents reported seeing flames and a large plume of smoke near the city's primary airport. Saudi Arabia had previously dispatched alerts warning of possible danger around Riyadh, as the Houthi attacks in the kingdom intensified.

Visual evidence, provided by Reuters, depicted a towering column of black smoke rising over the airport area, with the main terminal building and other facilities in the background. Flames were also visible in the footage, emerging from what appeared to be fuel tanks. The Houthi group did not specify the precise targets in Riyadh but did announce an attack on an Aramco facility in Yanbu, a significant Saudi oil export hub.

The operation was reportedly a response to an attack in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. Saudi Arabia has not yet commented on the smoke and the overnight alerts; there was also no immediate confirmation from the kingdom regarding the Houthi claims. Saudi civil defense had issued phone alerts overnight, warning of potential aerial threats in Riyadh and Al-Kharj, a city east of the capital.

An all-clear was declared on Saturday morning. This was the first such alert in Riyadh since the escalation began with the Houthis in July. The militia, which controls most of Yemen and parts of the north, has been launching attacks against Saudi Arabia since declaring a naval blockade against Riyadh in July. These strikes have targeted Saudi cities, energy infrastructure, and shipping, raising concerns over global oil supplies and the alternative Red Sea route for Gulf exports as the Strait of Hormuz remains blockaded.

On Friday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree stated that the group had thwarted "criminal attempts" in Sanaa, blaming Saudi Arabia and promising retaliation. The Iranian-aligned group, which seized Yemen's entire Red Sea coast in a rapid advance this month, claims the Saudi Air Force has launched hundreds of strikes against it in recent days.

The conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia has emerged as a new theater of war within the broader struggle that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran at the end of February. Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary, Mohsen Rezaei, told Al Jazeera that Tehran desired the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis to conclude, suggesting that Yemenis also desired a resolution with Saudi Arabia.

Rezaei added that Iran had communicated its conditions to mediators for re-engaging in stalled negotiations with the US, which included an end to the war on all fronts. The UN Security Council issued a strong condemnation of the continued Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, including those that have affected civilian and energy infrastructure, resulting in injuries to civilians, including women and children. The Security Council also condemned the Houthi military escalation in Yemen.