Smoke engulfs Riyadh airport area after Houthi missile attack

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Riyadh: A large plume of black smoke was seen near King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh after Saudi Arabia faced a reported Houthi missile and drone assault.

The Saudi-led coalition said its air defences intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched towards the capital.

The Houthis claimed they had targeted “sensitive” sites in Riyadh using missiles and drones and also claimed an attack on an Aramco facility in Yanbu.

Saudi authorities had issued overnight alerts warning residents of a potential aerial threat before later giving an all-clear.

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Video and photographs verified by Reuters showed flames and a thick column of smoke rising from an area near the airport, apparently close to fuel storage facilities.

Saudi authorities reported no casualties or damage from the intercepted missile, although flight disruptions were reported at the airport.

The incident comes amid a sharp escalation in fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement, with the latest attack marking the first such targeting of Riyadh since the recent escalation began.

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