Smoke Rises Near Riyadh Airport After Overnight Alerts and All-Clear
A large plume of smoke was seen near Riyadh's airport after overnight danger alerts and an all-clear, amid escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
A thick column of black smoke rose near Riyadh's main airport on Saturday, following overnight warnings of potential danger across the Saudi capital and the nearby city of Al-Kharj.
Saudi civil defence sent phone alerts overnight for Riyadh and Al-Kharj, east of the capital, before issuing an all-clear on Saturday morning. A journalist in Riyadh's Olaya district reported hearing booms before the all-clear was sent.
Video and photographs showed the smoke rising in the area, with the airport highway, main terminal building and other facilities visible in the foreground. The Saudi government's media office did not immediately respond to questions about the smoke and the overnight alerts.
While alerts have been issued in Riyadh this year since the start of the US-Iran war, these were the first since the escalation with the Houthis began in July.
The Houthis, who control Yemen's most populous areas and much of the north, have been launching attacks toward Saudi Arabia since declaring a naval blockade against Riyadh in July, with strikes targeting Saudi vessels in the Red Sea. The attacks have created new threats to global oil supplies, putting at risk the main alternative Red Sea route for Gulf exports while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains blockaded.
On Friday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had foiled unspecified "criminal attempts" in Sanaa, blaming Saudi Arabia and vowing a response. The Iran-aligned group, which seized Yemen's entire Red Sea coast in a lightning advance this month, says the Saudi Air Force has conducted hundreds of airstrikes against it in recent days.
The UN Security Council on Friday "condemned in the strongest terms continued Houthi attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including attacks impacting civilian and energy infrastructure, which have resulted in the injury of civilians, including women and children." The council also condemned "Houthi military escalation in Yemen."