Blasts heard, thick smoke seen near Riyadh airport as Houthi tensions escalate

A large column of black smoke and flames was seen near Riyadh's international airport on Saturday, hours after air raid alerts were issued across the Saudi capital.

The sighting came amid reports of several apparent explosions in Riyadh and major disruption at King Khalid International Airport. Flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 reported long delays and cancellations, while the BBC reported significant problems at the airport.

One report suggested that a fuel tank near the airport had caught fire. The cause of the fire and the reported explosions was not immediately clear, and Saudi authorities had not issued an official explanation.

An AFP journalist at the scene reported seeing firefighters attempting to extinguish flames from a burnt-out fuel tank belonging to Saudi state oil and gas company Aramco. Residents also told AFP they had heard what



sounded like a series of explosions after the alerts were issued.

“In the direction of the airport we saw black smoke and fire,” one resident told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Saudi Civil Defence sent phone alerts overnight warning of potential aerial attacks in Riyadh and Al-Kharj, a city east of the capital, before issuing an all-clear on Saturday morning, Reuters reported. A Reuters journalist in Riyadh's Olaya area also heard booms before the all-clear was issued.

While some alerts had been issued in Riyadh this year following the start of the US-Iran war, Reuters reported that these were the first since the escalation involving the Houthis began in July.

The alerts came amid heightened tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who have been carrying out attacks against Saudi Arabia amid the wider regional conflict.