Flights cancelled or delayed at Riyadh airport due to Houthi airstrikes

Flights canceled or delayed at Riyadh airport due to Houthi attacks

On September 19, black smoke and flames rose near the international airport of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities issued an air raid warning. A few hours later, it was reported that flights at the airport were canceled and delayed. This is said to have been caused by the launch of ballistic missiles by Yemeni Houthis.

A journalist at the scene said firefighters were trying to extinguish a fire in a burning fuel tank near the airport. This tank was identified as bearing the logo of the Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco.

The disruptions occurred after Saudi authorities issued an air raid warning overnight. This is the first warning issued since attacks by the neighboring Houthis intensified in September. A few hours after the morning warning, residents reported hearing the sounds of explosions in some parts of the Saudi capital.

"We saw black smoke and fire in the direction of the airport," said one resident who spoke on condition of anonymity.

For the first time since the resumption of the years-long civil war in Yemen, the conflict is threatening the Saudi capital.

"The area is under hostile threat," said a message sent to Riyadh residents around 3:00 AM, urging them to stay indoors.

Following this, journalists reported hearing two explosions. Half an hour later, the Saudi Civil Defense Agency lifted the air raid warning.

"I heard the siren, then my windows shook. It was really scary. I didn't expect this," said a 27-year-old resident living in the north of the city.

Another resident described the attack as terrifying.

"I was very worried. Because unlike previous times, the all-clear signal was not given immediately," said a resident living in central Riyadh.