Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for an attack on Riyadh, marking the first strike on the Saudi capital since fighting in Yemen escalated. A fuel tank was burning near King Khalid International Airport and flights were disrupted, although the available accounts did not establish whether the claimed attack caused the fire.
Saudi authorities issued an overnight air raid alert, described as the first since the latest escalation with the Houthis. The Saudi-led coalition said its defence forces intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile launched towards Riyadh in the early hours of Saturday.
Black smoke and intense flames were seen near the airport, AFP reported. A fuel tank carrying the logo of Saudi oil company Aramco was burning at a fuel depot near King Khalid International Airport.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group’s Yemeni Armed Forces had carried out two successful operations with a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones. He said one operation had targeted sensitive sites in Riyadh, while the other had targeted Aramco facilities in Yanbu.
Saree said the attacks were retaliation for recent Saudi attacks on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. Saudi Arabia leads a coalition fighting alongside Yemeni government forces in the country’s civil war. The Houthis are supported by Iran.
The Saudi authorities confirmed that the Houthis had attempted to attack the capital with a ballistic missile. Their account did not establish whether all missiles and drones referred to in the Houthi statement had been intercepted.
Residents reported explosions in the vicinity of Riyadh. Hours after the early morning alert, residents told AFP they heard what appeared to be another round of explosions across parts of the capital.
FlightRadar24 listed Riyadh King Khalid International Airport at its maximum disruption index of 5.0. The service said this indicated major problems, including long delays and several cancelled flights. Flight monitoring data showed that a number of flights were cancelled or delayed, though no specific total was given.
Saudi civil defence later said the danger was over. The agency lifted the alert half an hour after AFP journalists reported hearing two explosions.
The claimed operation represents the first Houthi attack on Riyadh since the escalation in fighting between the Iran-backed group and Yemeni government forces supported by Saudi Arabia. It is also the first time since Yemen’s long-running civil war resumed that the Houthis have threatened the Saudi capital.
The extent of damage at the fuel depot and elsewhere was unclear. No casualty figures were provided, and it remained unknown whether further attacks took place beyond the two operations claimed by the Houthis.
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