RIYADH, Saudi Arabia | Flames and a large plume of black smoke were seen near King Khalid International Airport on Saturday after loud booms were heard in Riyadh and Saudi authorities issued overnight alerts warning residents of a potential aerial threat, as attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement intensify across the kingdom.
Saudi Civil Defence sent alerts to residents in Riyadh and nearby Al-Kharj warning of a potential danger and later issued an all-clear. Reuters reported that a journalist in Riyadh heard explosions before the all-clear was announced, while video and photographs showed a large column of smoke rising near the airport. The Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to Reuters’ questions about the smoke or the alerts.
The exact cause of the fire and smoke near the airport had not been confirmed as of Saturday. The Associated Press reported that although explosions were heard following the alerts, Saudi authorities had not reported casualties or damage from the incident.
The security alerts were not limited to Riyadh. Saudi Arabia issued warnings across several areas of the country amid what authorities described as a hostile aerial threat. The alerts came as the Houthis stepped up attacks against Saudi territory, including cities and energy infrastructure, following the collapse of years of relative calm between the group and the Saudi-led coalition involved in Yemen.
The renewed fighting marks a significant reversal from the UN-brokered truce that began in April 2022. The agreement halted offensive military operations inside Yemen and across its borders and led to a substantial reduction in violence and civilian casualties. The truce formally expired on October 2, 2022, but cross-border fighting between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia remained greatly reduced for several years.
That period of relative calm ended in July this year. Reuters reported that the Houthis launched missiles toward Saudi Arabia on July 13, following Saudi strikes on targets in Houthi-controlled areas and an attack on the runway at Sanaa airport. The episode marked the first Houthi missile assault on Saudi Arabia since the 2022 truce began.
Since then, the confrontation has expanded beyond the traditional Saudi-Yemeni border. The Houthis have attacked Saudi military and energy-related targets while advancing along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. Their activities also pose risks to shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s key maritime chokepoints connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Reuters reported earlier this week that Saudi and Houthi forces had exchanged fresh attacks, while more than 100,000 Yemenis had been displaced by the renewed fighting. The escalation is unfolding alongside a wider Middle East conflict that has already disrupted major energy and shipping routes, including the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest alerts in Riyadh therefore come amid a rapidly changing security situation, with Saudi authorities continuing to monitor potential aerial threats and the international community watching the renewed Yemen conflict for signs of further regional escalation. The United Nations Security Council has condemned recent Houthi attacks against Saudi civilian and energy infrastructure.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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