Houthis Fire Missiles at Riyadh in First Strike on Capital

Iran-backed Houthis launched ballistic missiles and drones at Riyadh for the first time since Yemen's civil war resumed, prompting US travel warnings.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis said they carried out two military operations using a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, with spokesman Yahya Saree saying the first targeted sensitive sites in the Saudi capital and the second targeted Aramco facilities in Yanbu. Loud explosions rang out twice in Riyadh, where AFP journalists saw a fuel tank bearing the Aramco logo on fire near the airport, and a large plume of black smoke rose from the fuel storage depot at King Khalid International Airport. The Saudi-led coalition said the ballistic missile aimed at the capital was successfully intercepted and destroyed, and that attacks on western cities, including the Red Sea export hub of Yanbu, were thwarted by air defences. Saudi authorities reported no casualties or damage.

This is the first time since Yemen's civil war resumed that strikes have threatened the Saudi capital, according to CNA, a significant reversal after months in which the fighting had been concentrated inside Yemen. The Houthis' recent lightning offensive seized swathes of Yemeni territory, left hundreds dead and, according to the United Nations, displaced more than 110,000 people, giving the group control over the vital Bab al-Mandab strait. The attack also came days after Riyadh accused the Houthis of targeting Mecca — a charge the group strongly denied as a 'worn-out lie' — and just after Washington approved a $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to the kingdom. The strike lands amid seven months of wider war between the US and Iran.

Residents received a message shortly before 3am warning that the area was under a hostile aerial threat and urging them to stay indoors, with one telling AFP 'I heard the alarm, then my windows shook' and another describing the attack as 'terrifying'. The Saudi civil defence agency lifted the alert about half an hour later. NBC News reported that flames and a large plume of smoke were visible near Riyadh's main airport after the Houthis claimed the attack. According to i24NEWS, US embassies warned of possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and other travel disruptions, and President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier than planned from Camp David, though no official confirmation linked the early return to the escalation.

The US State Department warned that hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis 'have the potential to escalate rapidly' and said Americans outside the Middle East should seriously reconsider travel to and through the region. According to the Times of India, the advisory said Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including civilian airports, and warned that falling debris from intercepted projectiles could pose a risk. Saudi Arabia remains under a Level 3 reconsider-travel advisory, while Yemen is under a Level 4 do-not-travel advisory. The department also warned, per the Times of India, that Iran and groups supportive of Tehran could target US interests, businesses and institutions overseas, including at locations outside the Middle East.

The clashes have already disrupted Saudi Arabia's exports — the world's leading supply of crude oil — as well as maritime traffic, CNA reports. The Houthis' offensive this month aimed to take over the country's entire Red Sea coast, and members of the group told AFP they have been installing radar and digging tunnels in newly conquered territory. According to Axios, the US last week refused a Saudi request to strike the Houthis, complicating Riyadh's response options even as Washington approved the F-35 sale to help the kingdom 'deter current and future threats'. Saudi Arabia has responded with scores of airstrikes on Houthi-held areas but has failed to stop the advance, and the war adds pressure to a global economy already rattled by the US-Iran conflict.

The fragile 2022 truce between Yemen's warring parties collapsed in July when the Houthis allowed an Iranian aircraft to land in Yemen despite Riyadh's control of Yemeni airspace, and Saturday's strike suggests neither side is de-escalating. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey could help meet Saudi military needs under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, according to Reuters via The Jerusalem Post, while Pakistan said there were no discussions about a military reaction under the same pact in response to the Houthi attacks. US officials have stopped short of broader evacuation measures but warn the situation could change quickly, and travellers are being urged to monitor airport and airline operations closely as airspace closures remain possible.