Smoke and flight delays at Riyadh airport after air raid alert
Residents said they heard explosions during the first air raid alert issued for the Saudi capital.
Near Riyadh's King Khalid airport, an overnight air raid alert led to a large plume of black smoke and flames, according to Reuters footage. Residents reported hearing explosions before Saudi civil defense officials declared an all-clear on Saturday morning. FlightRadar24 rated the airport at Level 5 on its disruption index, signaling a high likelihood of flight delays or cancellations.
Saudi officials have not commented on the incident, while the Saudi Ministry of Defense and Riyadh's airport authorities did not respond to requests for information. The air raid alert occurred amid escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The Houthis recently seized the Red Sea port of Mokha and the island of Mayyun, also known as Perim, tightening their control over the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
Yemeni and Houthi officials claimed to have captured the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands in the strait, though those assertions have not been independently verified. The narrow strait, approximately 30 kilometers wide, accounts for about 8.7% of global seaborne trade, according to UN estimates. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had called U.S. President Donald Trump twice last week to request U.S. strikes on Houthi targets, but Washington has thus far avoided direct military involvement.
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