Houthis claim attack on Saudi capital after smoke seen rising near Riyadh airport

19 September 2026, 14: 09 BST. Updated 23 minutes ago.

Key points

• On Friday, the International Organization for Migration, a UN body, documented that the number of residents displaced since of recent fighting had passed 104, 796, external.
• Earlier, Sarea had accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out 300 strikes throughout Yemen during the past week.
• Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen say they carried out drone and missile attacks on the Saudi capital Riyadh and energy sites on the country's Red Sea coast.
• The Houthis remarked 31 of their fighters had been killed while administration sources noted their side had lost 17 soldiers, according to the news agency.
• Saudi vessels have relied on that stretch of the Red Sea for oil exports since the US and Israel's war with Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz.

Notably, a column of black smoke was seen rising from what appeared to be fuel tanks near the Saudi capital's international airport on Saturday, hours after air raid alerts were issued.

It was the first time residents had been given an alert and pressed to stay indoors since a recent escalation in the conflict with the Houthis. There has been no official comment from Saudi authorities.

In an official note posted online, Houthi military spokesman Yahya al-Sarea remarked a "large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones" had been employed to attack "sensitive sites" in Riyadh and Aramco state oil and gas firm facilities in Yanbu on the coast.

He continued that the attacks were "in response to the Saudi enemy's criminal attempts" to target the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

Meanwhile, the Houthis are locked in a civil war with Yemen's internationally recognised administration. It is backed by Saudi Arabia.

They have attacked targets inside Saudi Arabia on a number of occasions in recent months, and stated this week that they were responsible for downing a Saudi fighter jet over Yemen.

According to an unconfirmed report from AFP news agency, quoting military sources on both sides of Yemen's civil war, fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed administration forces maintained 48 lives on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Houthis remarked 31 of their fighters had been killed while administration sources noted their side had lost 17 soldiers, according to the news agency.

On Friday, the International Organization for Migration, a UN body, documented that the number of residents displaced since of recent fighting had passed 104, 796, external. How escalating Saudi oil crisis could drive up rates everywhere.

Saudi Arabia problems first air raid alerts for Riyadh since Houthis escalated attacks.

Notably, a number of apparent explosions were heard in Riyadh and major difficulties were documented at King Khalid International Airport earlier on Saturday, with the tracking website FlightRadar24 reporting delays and cancellations., external.

For context, an AFP journalist documented that firefighters could be seen trying to extinguish the flames of a burnt-out fuel tank belonging to Aramco.

In practice, the Saudi Civil Defence had sent out phone alerts overnight warning of potential danger in Riyadh and other regions, before issuing an all-clear on Saturday morning.

Residents informed AFP on condition of anonymity that they had heard what sounded like a round of explosions echoing through the city after the alerts.

"I heard the alarm, then my windows shook, " remarked a resident of northern Riyadh, 27. "It was definitely scary. I was not expecting this."

For context, the Houthis lately seized control of the strategic port city of Mokha and Perim Island, a gateway to a key shipping route employed by the Gulf state to export to Asia and Europe.

In practice, the group remarked the naval blockade was in retaliation for a Saudi blockade of ports and airports in Houthi-controlled north-western Yemen.

On Friday, investment banking giant JP Morgan remarked it was struggling to predict how oil costs would be impacted by the war, telling investors in a rare note that "we simply don't know how to model the endgame".

Taken together, the developments around houthis claim attack on Saudi capital after smoke seen rising near Riyadh point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.