(TNND) — Firefighters battled a blaze at a fuel depot near Riyadh’s main airport after residents reported multiple explosions overnight, as Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement said it launched a new wave of missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis said Saturday’s strikes targeted “sensitive sites” in Riyadh and Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu, a Red Sea port city. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group used ballistic and cruise missiles, along with drones, in two operations.
The group said the attacks were in response to what it described as Saudi attempts to target Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.
An AFP journalist reported firefighters extinguished a fire involving an Aramco-branded fuel tank at a depot near Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. The cause of the fire was not immediately established independently.
Residents in Riyadh told AFP they heard multiple explosions after Saudi authorities issued an overnight air-raid alert. Major disruptions were reported at King Khalid International Airport, though normal air traffic later began to resume.
Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the Houthi claims, identified the cause of the explosions or detailed any damage.
The reported attack comes amid an escalation in Yemen, where the Houthis have expanded territory and continued fighting the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized Yemeni government.