Saudi Arabia issues first alert for Riyadh after explosion near airport amid Houthi conflict

As the conflict with the Iran-backed Houthis continues, Saudi Arabia has issued an alert for residents of capital Riyadh, warning them of a “hostile aerial threat”, said officials on Saturday. This is the first Saudi Arabia has issued an air raid alert for the capital since the conflict with the Yemen-based militant group began this month.

“The area is under a hostile aerial threat,” the alert said, urging people to stay inside their residences.

Soon after the alert was issued, an explosion was heard in Riyadh, with residents claiming that a huge plume of smoke was seen near the airport in the morning. No damages or casualties were reported, though, and Saudi authorities have not commented on it either. 

“I heard the alarm, then my windows shook,” a 27-year-old resident told AFP. “It was definitely scary. I was not expecting this.”

Another resident described the attack as “terrifying”. “I was extremely anxious — especially because, unlike previous times, the ‘all-clear’ signal didn’t come right away,” he told AFP.

The Saudi-Houthi conflict

The tensions between Saudi Arabia and Houthis escalated this month, with the former blaming the latter for targeting Mecca on Wednesday and describing it as a “cowardly terrorist attack”. However, the Houthis rejected that it targeted Islam’s holiest city, even as it has attacked many of Saudi bases in the region.

In response, Saudi Arabia has conducted airstrikes on Houthi-held areas, but that has not helped in stopping the group’s advance. The Houthis have warned that they would continue striking the Saudis.

“In response to the Saudi enemy’s criminal attempts to target the capital Sanaa… the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out two successful military operations using a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement. “The first targeted sensitive sites in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and the second targeted Aramco facilities in Yanbu.”

As the situation remains grim, Saudis have turned to the United States (US) for help; however, Washington has refused to strike the Houthis. Although it has approved a USD 24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia to help it “deter current and future threats”.

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