Smoke and flames were seen rising near Riyadh’s international airport today amid reports of explosions.
Saudi Arabia had earlier warned of a “hostile aerial threat” and issued a series of emergency alerts across the kingdom, including in the capital, late Friday and into early Saturday.
Two residents of Riyadh said they saw black smoke and flames coming from the area around King Khalid International Airport.
Images showed dense plumes of smoke spreading across the blue skies above the Saudi capital.
Flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 reported significant disruption at Riyadh airport, with flights cancelled and others delayed.
The airport was assigned the website’s highest disruption rating of 5.0, indicating “major problems with long delays and several cancelled flights”.
The disruption came after Saudi authorities issued an overnight air raid alert—the first for Riyadh since fighting in neighbouring Yemen escalated this month.
Hours after the early-morning warning, residents told AFP on condition of anonymity that they heard what appeared to be another series of explosions reverberating across parts of the capital.
Smoke and flames billow near Riyadh’s international airport following reports of explosions
The alert in Riyadh was the first for the Saudi capital since the latest escalation with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels
The Riyadh alert was the first issued for the Saudi capital since the latest escalation involving Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
No casualties or damage were reported after the alerts were lifted.
Saudi authorities did not explain what triggered the warnings or identify the cause of the reported explosions. They had previously said they intercepted incoming Houthi missiles and drones.
Earlier this week, the Houthis were accused of sending a drone towards the holy city of Mecca.
The latest developments come amid mounting fears of a new global oil supply crisis, after Houthi rebels seized the strategic islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish in the southern Red Sea following an attack on a Saudi pipeline.
The Iran-backed group has been waging a civil war in Yemen against a Saudi-led coalition since 2014.
The Iran conflict has also forced Saudi Arabia to redirect its exports away from the Persian Gulf, after Iranian attacks restricted shipping through the waterway’s only exit, the Strait of Hormuz.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree swiftly rejected Saudi claims that the group had targeted Mecca, following widespread condemnation.
“Our operations target its oil facilities and military bases, which are far removed from the sacred sites,” he said.
File image: Houthi troopers stand guard during a protest against Saudi Arabia in Sana’a, Yemen, 18 September 2026
Supporters of Yemen’s Houthi rebels chant and raise rifles during a rally organized to celebrate the group’s capture of Mayun Island on September 11
Mecca is regarded as the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and is the holiest city in Islam.
Muslims who are physically and financially able are required to make the pilgrimage to the city at least once in their lifetime, with millions travelling there each year.
Major General Turki al-Maliki, the spokesman for the Saudi-led Coalition Forces, condemned the attempted attack on X, writing: ‘This hostile attempt will also remain a black mark in the record of violations by the extremist terrorist Houthi militia, as a deliberate act intended to provoke the feelings of millions of Muslims.’
He vowed to take any ‘necessary and deterrent measures’ against the group.
The U.N.’s most powerful body said late Friday that the Houthis’ military escalation, attacks and threats ‘risk further expanding the conflict, threatening maritime security and international trade,’ while undermining regional and international efforts to secure peace in Yemen.
It warned that continued escalation would exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in the country.
The council’s 15 members called for ‘practical cooperation’ to prevent the Iran-backed Houthis from acquiring arms, military training, financing and other military-related assistance needed to carry out their attacks.
They stressed that all countries must enforce the U.N. arms embargo against the rebel group.
It also came as Iran’s state TV reported on Saturday that a man identified as Hossein Pedram was executed after being convicted on charges of spying for Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad.
The report said Pedram passed on to Israel classified information on ‘sensitive military sites’ in Iran’s Isfahan province.
It didn’t say how he accessed the classified information.
Pedram was reportedly arrested after those sites, which included missile bases, were targeted in the 12-day air war by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in June last year.
A recent surge of executions in Iran prompted an international outcry by human rights groups.
