A column of black smoke was observed rising near Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, hours after authorities issued air raid alerts across the Saudi capital. The alerts, which urged residents to remain indoors, were the first of their kind since the recent escalation in hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthi militants based in neighbouring Yemen.
Throughout the day, reports of apparent explosions echoed through the city, while operational disruptions surfaced at the international airport. FlightRadar24, a tracking service, noted various delays and cancellations related to the facility. According to an AFP journalist on the scene, firefighters were observed attempting to suppress flames emerging from a damaged fuel tank identified as belonging to the state-owned oil and gas giant, Aramco.
Saudi Civil Defence officials had transmitted phone alerts overnight to warn residents of potential danger across Riyadh and other regions, eventually issuing an all-clear signal on Saturday morning. One 27-year-old resident of northern Riyadh described the experience, stating, "I heard the alarm, then my windows shook. It was definitely scary. I was not expecting this."
The current tension follows a series of recent Houthi strikes within Saudi territory. On Friday, the Houthi military spokesman, Yahya al-Sarea, asserted that Saudi Arabia had conducted 300 strikes across Yemen over the past week and warned that recent attacks on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa—which the Houthis claimed bore hallmarks of an Islamic State operation—would "not go unanswered."
The conflict has seen significant casualties, with unconfirmed reports from military sources on both sides indicating that 48 lives were lost on Saturday alone. The Houthis reported 31 of their fighters killed, while government sources confirmed the loss of 17 soldiers. The UN’s International Organization for Migration reported that the number of people displaced by the recent fighting has surpassed 104,796.
The Houthis have recently seized control of the strategic port city of Mokha and Perim Island, which serve as gateways to vital shipping routes. The group stated that its naval blockade is a retaliatory measure against Saudi Arabia’s own blockade of ports and airports in Houthi-controlled north-western Yemen. Saudi vessels have increasingly relied on this stretch of the Red Sea for oil exports following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Market analysts are closely monitoring the instability. On Friday, JP Morgan issued a note to investors stating that the bank was struggling to predict the economic impact, noting that "we simply don't know how to model the endgame." Saudi authorities have not yet provided an official comment regarding the smoke or the reported damage near the airport.
