Thick black smoke erupted near the airport in Saudi Arabia's capital after the government issued an airstrike warning amid escalating conflict with Yemen's Houthi rebels.
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 its first-ever air raid alert advising residents to shelter indoors since the intensification of the conflict with Yemen's Houthi rebels.
Reports indicated local residents heard multiple explosions, and that an Aramco oil storage tank, belonging to 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, Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense sent air raid warning messages to citizens' mobile phones late at night, which were lifted on Saturday morning. Saudi authorities have not yet issued an official statement regarding the incident.
Yahya al-Sari, spokesman for the Houthi group, stated that Saudi Arabia launched over 300 attacks across Yemen in the past week and warned that attacks on Sanaa, Yemen's capital, would not go unanswered.
The Houthis claimed they shot down a Saudi fighter jet last week. The latest wave of attacks resulted in at least 48 deaths—31 Houthis and 17 Yemeni government forces backed by Saudi Arabia—while the UN reported that over 104,796 people have been displaced by the recent conflict.
The Houthis have seized the port city of Mocha and Perim Island, key strategic points at the Red Sea entrance, enabling control of the eastern side of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Saudi commercial and oil shipping relies on the Red Sea route to export to Asia and Europe after the Strait of Hormuz was closed due to the US-Israel-Iran conflict. However, the Houthis have declared a blockade and threatened to attack commercial and oil tankers traveling to or from Saudi ports.
This situation has driven oil prices above $100 per barrel again. Global financial institution JP Morgan warned investors that the war’s impact creates high uncertainty, making it impossible to accurately model or forecast oil price trends.
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Source:bbc