Explosions Heard in Riyadh as Saudi Authorities Issue Air Raid Warning

Explosions were heard in Riyadh on Saturday local time. The blasts occurred after Saudi Arabian authorities issued an air raid warning following threats of attacks from the pro-Iranian Houthi group in Yemen.

“This area is under threat from enemy aircraft,” read the warning message received by residents in the Saudi capital, as reported by the AFP news agency on Saturday (19/09/2026).

This is the first time the capital has been directly affected since the conflict in neighbouring Yemen escalated again in July.

The Houthi group in Yemen stated on Friday (18/09) that Saudi Arabia had launched 26 attacks on territories under their control within the last 24 hours, amidst fierce clashes between the pro-Iranian group and the Riyadh-backed Yemeni government in the reignited civil war.

The group noted that the number of Saudi attacks against them has reached 300 over the past week, targeting various Houthi-controlled regions in Yemen.

The war, which began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, had subsided since 2022 but has drastically intensified since July.

Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a coalition supporting the internationally recognised Yemeni government. This intervention has expanded the war’s escalation and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises in the impoverished nation.

This month, the Houthis, who control much of Yemen’s populated areas, launched lightning strikes to seize the entire Yemeni Red Sea coast, granting them control over the vital Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The Zaydi Shia community-based group from northern Yemen has declared a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia. This is significant as the route is frequently used by Saudi Arabia to export oil to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, which is also closed due to Middle East conflicts.

The Houthi group maintains that navigation through the strait remains open and free for everyone, except for Saudi-owned vessels.

On Friday, the UN stated that the rekindled fighting has forced more than 112,000 people to flee their homes. Meanwhile, nearly 3,000 others have fled across the sea to Djibouti, adding to the suffering of a population already in a dire situation.

In 2025, the UN warned that 17 million people in Yemen are struggling to access food, with another one million facing the threat of extreme famine.