The Iran-aligned Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for missile and drone attacks targeting Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The Saudi military intercepted ballistic missiles aimed at Riyadh, leading to air raid alerts and a fire at a fuel tank near the international airport.
According to reports from AFP and Reuters on September 19, Saudi civil defense authorities issued warnings of potential aerial attacks in Riyadh and several other regions from the previous night into the morning. This marked the first such alert for Riyadh since clashes between the Houthis and Saudi forces escalated in July.
Residents in Riyadh reported multiple explosions overnight. Authorities later declared the situation safe and lifted the alerts, although flames and large plumes of black smoke were observed near King Khalid International Airport.
AFP reporters witnessed firefighters battling a blaze at a fuel storage facility marked with the logo of Saudi state oil company Aramco.
Flight operations at the airport were disrupted, with cancellations and delays reported by the flight tracking site FlightRadar24.
The Houthis claimed they conducted the attacks on Riyadh and other locations.
Yahya Saree, a military spokesperson for the Houthis, stated that they carried out two military operations against Saudi Arabia using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. He claimed the first operation targeted 'sensitive facilities' in Riyadh, while the second aimed at Aramco facilities in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast.
The Saudi-led coalition confirmed that the Houthis launched ballistic missiles toward Riyadh.
Turki al-Maliki, a spokesperson for the coalition, stated that Saudi air defense successfully intercepted and destroyed the ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis early in the morning. He added that the Houthis also attempted to target civilians and civilian infrastructure in Bish, Taif, Farasan, and Yanbu, but Saudi defenses thwarted these attacks.
Clashes between the Houthis and Saudi forces have intensified recently. The Houthis have expanded their offensive, capturing key positions in the western Yemeni port of Mocha and the island of Perim at the entrance to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
In response, Saudi forces have conducted airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen. As the conflict escalates, concerns are growing that the Yemeni civil war, which had seen a relative lull since a ceasefire in 2022, may reignite.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.