Flames, smoke seen near Riyadh airport; Houthis claim attacks on Saudi capital

On Saturday, Yemen's Houthis claimed responsibility for missile and drone strikes on sensitive sites in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh. Witnesses reported seeing flames and a significant plume of smoke near the city's main airport. Saudi Arabia had previously issued warnings of potential danger around Riyadh in the preceding hours.

Reuters video and photographs captured the ominous scene, with a towering column of black smoke and flames visible behind what seemed to be fuel tanks. The Houthis, who have carried out multiple attacks against Saudi Arabia since July, did not specify the targets in Riyadh, but they also reportedly attacked an Aramco facility in Yanbu, a crucial Saudi oil export hub.

The Saudi-led military coalition stated that its air defenses had intercepted a missile launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh earlier that day. Additionally, the coalition reported foiling attacks on civilians in Saudi cities such as Bish, Farasan, Taif, and Yanbu. Saudi civil defense services had sent alerts to the public overnight regarding potential aerial threats in Riyadh and Al-Kharj, but later issued an all-clear on Saturday morning.

Despite previous alerts following the US-Iran war, these were the first since the escalation with the Houthis began in July. The conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia has emerged as a new theater in the broader war that erupted with US and Israeli strikes against Iran in late February. US President Donald Trump has declined to provide direct military assistance to Saudi Arabia.

A US State Department alert for Americans in the Middle East warned of Houthi attacks, urging heightened vigilance. The Houthis, who control most of Yemen and the northern parts of the country, have been targeting Saudi Arabia since July, launching attacks at Saudi vessels in the Red Sea and causing concerns over global oil supplies and the alternative Red Sea route for Gulf exports.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan suggested that Saudi Arabia might require military support due to the ongoing Houthi attacks, and Turkey was prepared to assist under a trilateral defense pact. Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary, Mohsen Rezaei, expressed Iran's desire for an end to the war and conveyed its conditions to mediators for restarting negotiations with the United States, including an end to the conflict.

The UN Security Council strongly condemned the continued Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including strikes on civilian and energy infrastructure, resulting in injuries to civilians, including women and children.