Houthis Seemingly Launch First Airstrike on Saudi Capital as Smoke Spotted Near Riyadh Airport

As the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen escalate their attacks, air raid alerts have been issued for the Saudi capital of Riyadh for the first time.

According to foreign media outlets including the BBC on the 19th (local time), the Saudi General Directorate of Civil Defense issued air raid warnings for several regions, including Riyadh, starting from the night before until the morning of that day.

This marks the first alert issued for Riyadh since the Houthis intensified their attacks and declared a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia last July.

While reports of explosions continued to pour in from Riyadh, authorities later lifted the alerts and announced that the dangerous situation had ended.

Additionally, Reuters reported, citing witnesses, that flames and a thick plume of black smoke were seen rising near King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that day.

In response to this, the Saudi government did not immediately issue a statement to Reuters.

The Houthis have been expanding their offensive, having recently captured the key western Yemeni stronghold of Mocha and seizing Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea.

As the Houthis step up attacks targeting the Saudi mainland, threat alerts have been successively issued for the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia's second-largest city of Jeddah, and now the capital, Riyadh.

Furthermore, the Houthis launched massive missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi Aramco oil facilities in Yanbu and the Khamis Mushait air base.

In retaliation, Saudi Arabia has carried out continuous airstrikes on rebel positions and communication facilities in Yemen's Taiz and Hajjah provinces.

Armed clashes between the two sides are intensifying, with signs captured indicating that Saudi Arabia has deployed Chinese-made ballistic missiles in combat against the Houthis.

The Houthi side also claimed on the 16th that they shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet with a surface-to-air missile over Yemen's Marib province, releasing related footage.

As the military situation intensifies, concerns are growing that the Yemeni civil war, which had remained relatively calm following the 2022 truce agreement, could escalate into a full-scale war.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.