RismadarVoice Reporters
September 19, 2026
Flames and a large column of smoke were seen near King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday as Yemen’s Houthi movement claimed to have carried out missile and drone attacks on “sensitive” targets in the Saudi capital.
The Houthis also claimed to have targeted an Aramco facility in Yanbu, a major Saudi oil-export centre on the Red Sea.
The claims came hours after Saudi authorities issued overnight warnings of possible aerial threats in Riyadh and Al-Kharj, a city southeast of the capital.
Reuters footage and photographs showed thick black smoke rising near the airport area, with flames visible behind what appeared to be fuel storage tanks.
A Reuters journalist in Riyadh’s Olaya district also reported hearing explosions before authorities issued an all-clear on Saturday morning.
The cause of the fire and the extent of any damage were not immediately clear.
Saudi authorities had not publicly confirmed that the reported fire was caused by a Houthi attack.
The Houthis said their attacks were carried out in response to what they described as an attack on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.
The group did not provide details of the targets it claimed to have struck in Riyadh.
The Saudi government’s media office did not immediately respond to Reuters’ questions about the smoke, the overnight warnings or the Houthi claims.
Saudi Civil Defence had earlier sent emergency alerts to residents in Riyadh and Al-Kharj warning of potential aerial attacks. An all-clear was issued on Saturday morning.
The latest warnings came amid an escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who control large parts of northern and western Yemen.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Friday that the group had thwarted what he called “criminal attempts” in Sanaa and blamed Saudi Arabia, warning of retaliation.
The Houthis have accused the Saudi military of conducting hundreds of airstrikes against their positions in recent days.
The confrontation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia has emerged as another front in the wider regional conflict that followed US and Israeli strikes against Iran.
The Houthis, who are aligned with Iran, have also targeted Saudi-linked shipping and energy infrastructure in recent months, raising concerns over the security of oil supplies and Red Sea trade.
The attacks have added pressure to an already disrupted regional energy market, particularly as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains affected by the broader conflict.
Iranian official Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday that Tehran wanted an end to the fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.
Mr Rezaei also said Iran had communicated its conditions to mediators for resuming stalled negotiations with the United States.
He said consultations were continuing through Qatari and Pakistani mediators and that Tehran was awaiting a response from US President Donald Trump.
The United Nations Security Council on Friday condemned continued Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, including strikes affecting civilian and energy infrastructure.
In a statement, the council said the attacks had resulted in civilian injuries, including among women and children.
The council also condemned what it described as a military escalation by the Houthis in Yemen.
