Houthis Claim Riyadh Missile Attack

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have said they launched missile and drone attacks on “sensitive” sites in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, hours after flames and a large plume of smoke were seen near the city’s main airport.

The group said the operation was carried out in response to an attack on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. It also claimed responsibility for a strike on an Aramco facility in Yanbu, a Red Sea city that serves as a major oil export hub.

Saudi Arabia’s military coalition said its air defence systems intercepted a missile fired towards Riyadh early on Saturday. The coalition added that it had stopped attacks targeting civilians in Bish and Farasan in the southwest, as well as Taif and Yanbu, but did not provide details on possible damage.

Reuters video and photographs showed a large column of black smoke rising near King Khalid International Airport, with airport facilities and the surrounding highway visible in the background. Flames were also seen near what appeared to be fuel storage tanks.

Saudi civil defence authorities had issued overnight alerts warning residents in Riyadh and the nearby city of Al-Kharj about possible aerial threats. A Reuters journalist in Riyadh’s Olaya district reported hearing explosions before authorities later issued an all-clear.

The reported strike marked the first claimed Houthi attack on Riyadh since the latest escalation between the group and Saudi Arabia began in July. The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen and the country’s most populated areas, have increased attacks against Saudi cities, energy infrastructure and shipping routes in the Red Sea.

The developments have added another front to the wider regional conflict that followed US and Israeli strikes against Iran at the end of February. US President Donald Trump has declined Saudi requests for direct American military intervention against the Houthis.

The United States State Department issued a security alert on Saturday, citing Houthi attacks and advising Americans in the Middle East to “exercise heightened vigilance”. It also urged citizens outside the region to reconsider travel through the area.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saudi Arabia could require military assistance due to the continuing attacks and that Turkey was prepared to provide support under a defence agreement involving Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. He said possible assistance could include “some technical issues”.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran wanted the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis to end. In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said Yemenis also wanted a settlement with Riyadh and added that Iran had shared conditions for restarting stalled talks with the United States.

The United Nations Security Council has condemned continued Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including strikes affecting civilian and energy infrastructure, while also criticising what it described as a military escalation in Yemen.