Smoke visible near Riyadh airport after Saudi Arabia issues all-clear

On Saturday, a thick column of black smoke was noticed near the main airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, following the transmission of booms and warnings by the country. These alerts were sent overnight, prompting concerns regarding potential threats in the capital and the nearby city of Al-Kharj. However, an all-clear was eventually issued on Saturday morning.

The Saudi civil defense had sent these notifications by phone. A reporter in Riyadh’s Olaya area reportedly heard explosions before the all-clear signal. It is worth noting that while similar alerts had been issued in Riyadh this year following the beginning of the US-Iran war, this was the first such alert since the Houthi group escalated their attacks in July.

The Houthis, who control a significant portion of Yemen and the northern region, have been carrying out assaults against Saudi Arabia since declaring a naval blockade in July. These strikes have targeted Saudi vessels in the Red Sea, potentially disrupting global oil supplies and threatening the alternative Red Sea route for Gulf exports, as the Strait of Hormuz remains blockaded.

On Friday, a Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, stated that the group had thwarted unspecified criminal activities in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, blaming Saudi Arabia and threatening a response. The group, which has seized Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast and claims hundreds of airstrikes by the Saudi Air Force in recent days, has condemned in the strongest terms the continued Houthi attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including strikes on civilian and energy infrastructure that led to civilian injuries, including women and children.