Yemen’s Houthi group claimed responsibility for missile and drone attacks targeting Riyadh and other locations in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, September 19. The Saudi-led military coalition subsequently reported that it had intercepted a number of projectiles. The Houthis stated the operation was a response to what they described as a prior attack in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.
Following the claims, video and photographs from Reuters showed a large plume of black smoke near King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. In one video, flames were visible in the vicinity of what appeared to be fuel storage tanks.
Prior to the incident, Saudi civil defense authorities issued alerts by phone to residents in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj regarding potential aerial attacks. An all-clear was issued Saturday morning. A Reuters journalist in Riyadh reported hearing booms before the all-clear was given.
In a statement, the Saudi-led coalition announced its air defenses had destroyed a missile fired by the Houthi group toward Riyadh. The coalition also stated it had prevented attacks targeting the cities of Bish, Farasan, Taif, and Yanbu. The statement did not specify if any damage occurred as a result of the incidents.
A Houthi military spokesperson did not detail the exact targets in Riyadh but described them as “sensitive” sites. The group also claimed a separate attack on an Aramco facility in the Red Sea city of Yanbu. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Friday the group would respond to what he termed “criminal attempts” in Sanaa, for which he blamed Saudi Arabia.
The events prompted international reactions. U.S. embassies in Jerusalem, Oman, and Iraq issued security alerts for American nationals, citing heightened tensions in the region.
On Friday, the United Nations Security Council released a statement that “condemned in the strongest terms continued Houthi attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” The statement also condemned what it called “Houthi military escalation in Yemen.”
In related diplomatic commentary, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told broadcaster NTV that Saudi Arabia may have military needs and that Turkey was prepared to provide support under a trilateral defense pact that also includes Pakistan.
Separately, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Al Jazeera that Tehran desired an end to the conflict. Rezaei added that Iran had conveyed its conditions for resuming negotiations with the United States to mediators from Qatar and Pakistan.
