Flames, smoke seen near Riyadh airport after overnight air-raid alerts

Flames and a large plume of black smoke were seen rising near King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, an eyewitness told Reuters, hours after Saudi authorities issued the first air-raid alert in the capital since fighting with Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi forces resumed in July.reuters

The cause of the smoke was not immediately clear, and the Saudi government media office did not respond to requests for comment. Aircraft-tracking website Flightradar24 placed the airport at its maximum disruption index of 5.0, with 30 percent of flights delayed and several cancelled.english.ahram+1

Overnight Alerts and Explosions

The incident followed emergency alerts issued to residents of Riyadh and the nearby city of Al-Kharj late Friday and early Saturday. "The area is under a hostile aerial threat," a message received by residents shortly before 3:00 a.m. local time warned, urging them to stay indoors. AFP journalists reported hearing two explosions before Saudi Arabia's Civil Defence lifted the alert about half an hour later. A Reuters journalist in Riyadh's Olaya district also reported hearing booms before the all-clear was issued.siasat+1

Saudi state-affiliated channel Al Arabiya reported that Civil Defence announced "Danger lifted from both Riyadh and Al-Kharj". No casualties or damage were officially reported after the alerts were lifted.english.ahram+1

Escalating Conflict

The alerts marked the first time the renewed conflict has reached the Saudi capital. The Houthis have been fighting Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces since the country's civil war reignited in July, when the group also declared a maritime blockade on Riyadh and began targeting ships in the Red Sea.english.ahram

The episode came days after Riyadh accused the Houthis of targeting Mecca on Wednesday, denouncing it as a "cowardly terrorist attack" on Islam's holiest city. The Houthis denied the accusation, calling it a "worn-out lie".english.ahram

On Friday, the UN Security Council "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".siasat+1

Saudi Arabia has carried out its own strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen and recently launched an offensive to seize the country's entire Red Sea coast, giving it control over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The renewed fighting has raised concerns over global shipping and energy supplies in a region already disrupted by nearly seven months of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.financialexpress+1