Thick black smoke rose near the airport in Saudi Arabia's capital after the government recently issued an air attack warning amid escalating conflict with the Houthi group in Yemen.
On Saturday, 19 Sep 2026 GMT+7, dense black smoke billowed near King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital, just hours after the government issued an air raid alert—the first such public warning for citizens to shelter indoors since the conflict with Yemen's Houthi rebels intensified.
Reports indicated that locals heard multiple explosions, and it was reported that an Aramco oil storage tank, owned by the Saudi state energy company near the airport, caught fire, with firefighters attempting to control the blaze.
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 reported significant delays and numerous flight cancellations at King Khalid International Airport.
Earlier, the Saudi Civil Defense sent mobile alerts to citizens late at night warning of air attacks, later canceling the warnings on Saturday morning. Saudi authorities have yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident.
Yahya al-Sari, spokesperson for the Houthi group, stated that Saudi Arabia conducted over 300 airstrikes across Yemen in the past week and warned that attacks on Yemen's capital, Sana'a, would not go unanswered.
The Houthis claimed they downed a Saudi fighter jet last week, and the latest clashes have resulted in at least 48 deaths—31 Houthi fighters and 17 government forces supported by Saudi Arabia. The UN reported that this recent conflict has displaced over 104,796 people.
The Houthis have seized the strategic port city of Mocha and Perim Island at the Red Sea entrance, allowing them to control the eastern side of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Saudi commercial and oil tanker vessels rely on the Red Sea route for exports to Asia and Europe, especially after the Strait of Hormuz was closed due to conflict between the US-Israel and Iran. However, the Houthis have declared a blockade and threatened attacks on commercial and oil tankers traveling from or to Saudi ports.
This situation has caused oil prices to surge past $100 per barrel again, with global financial institution JP Morgan warning investors that the impact of this war is highly uncertain and difficult to model or predict regarding oil price trends.
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Source:bbc