Houthis Apparently Launch First Airstrike on Saudi Capital Amid Reports of Explosions

As the intensity of attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels increases, an air raid alert has been issued for the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh for the first time.

According to outlets such as the BBC, Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Civil Defense issued air raid alerts for several areas, including Riyadh, from last night until this morning, local time.

This marks the first alert issued in Riyadh since July, when the Houthis intensified their attacks and declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia.

Reports of explosions being heard followed in Riyadh.

However, authorities stated that the alerts have since been lifted and the dangerous situation has ended.

The Houthis are expanding their offensive, having recently captured the key western Yemeni stronghold of the port of Mokha, followed by Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance to the Red Sea.

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

In addition, the Houthis launched large-scale missile and drone attacks targeting Aramco oil facilities in Yanbu and the Khamis Mushait air base in Saudi Arabia.

In response, Saudi Arabia also airstriked rebel positions and communication facilities in Yemen's Taiz and Hajjah provinces.

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

The Houthi side also claimed on September 16 that they shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet with a surface-to-air missile over Marib Province in Yemen and released related footage.

As the war situation intensifies, concerns are growing that the Yemeni civil war, which had maintained a relatively lull following the 2022 truce agreement, could escalate into a full-scale conflict.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.