Riyadh air raid alert lifted after explosions heard

Saudi Arabia's civil defence agency lifted an air raid alert in Riyadh about half an hour after residents were warned of a “hostile aerial threat” and AFP journalists heard two explosions early Saturday, September 19.

The warning reached residents shortly before 3:00 am local time, or 0000 GMT, and urged them to stay indoors. AFP reported that it was the first time the conflict in neighbouring Yemen had reached the Saudi capital since fighting resumed in July.

Saudi Arabia had not commented on the threat or identified where it originated. Warnings were sent overnight to residents of several Saudi regions.

The alert came after renewed fighting in Yemen between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces. The Houthis declared a maritime blockade on Riyadh in July and began targeting Saudi ships in the Red Sea.

Riyadh accused the Houthis of targeting Mecca on Wednesday, calling it a “cowardly terrorist attack” on Islam's holy city. The Houthis denied the accusation, calling it a “worn-out lie”. The group also reported dozens of retaliatory strikes carried out daily by Riyadh since its offensive this month to take Yemen's Red Sea coast.

The war in Yemen began in 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and other areas, leading to a Saudi-led military intervention in March 2015. A 2022 truce collapsed in July after the Houthis allowed an Iranian aircraft to land in Yemen, defying Riyadh's control of Yemeni airspace.

The Houthis' recent takeover of Yemen's Red Sea coast has given them control over the Bab al-Mandab strait. Maritime tracking firm Kpler said Saudi exports through the strait had dropped since July, although five loaded ships had passed through in the last week.

The US State Department said Thursday it had approved the sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, worth $24.3 billion, to help Riyadh “deter current and future threats”. The United Nations said Friday that the renewed fighting had displaced more than 112,000 people, while nearly 3,000 others had fled across the sea to Djibouti.