Flames and a large column of black smoke rising near Riyadh airport were observed this Saturday, according to an eyewitness, Reuters reported, providing photographs of the smoke column. The Saudi government press office did not immediately respond to a request for statements from this news agency.
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According to Bloomberg, Saudi authorities issued air raid alerts for Riyadh in the early hours of Saturday, the first in the capital since the peak of the war between the U.S. and Iran in March and April.
Reuters later specified that the alerts also reached Al-Kharj, east of Riyadh, and that a journalist from the agency heard several detonations in the capital before Civil Protection declared the alarm over.
New attacks this month
The kingdom’s early warning system issued emergency alerts at 4 a.m. and again at 6 a.m. for residents of the capital, without providing further details. Saudi civil defense reported that the danger subsided shortly after in both cases.
Other areas of Saudi Arabia received similar warnings during the night, including the Red Sea cities of Jeddah and Yanbu, and the Farasan Island, also in the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia has been the target of renewed attacks this month, with the Houthis, an Iran-backed group based in Yemen, attacking western towns and energy infrastructure. Last week, the Saudi government declared that a drone attack from Iraq — a country where several militias allied with Tehran operate — forced the closure of the vital East-West pipeline.
The Houthis from Yemen have been carrying out almost daily attacks against Saudi Arabia over the past month, and one of them caused one death and several injuries in Taif on Thursday. The group has recently launched an offensive to strengthen its control over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea and has made significant advances on Yemen’s western coast, taking control of the port city of Mokha and a series of islands near the strait.
The Iran-backed militia has also declared that it is imposing a blockade on Saudi ships in the Red Sea and has attacked several vessels in that waterway, which has served as a key oil export route for the kingdom since the U.S.-Iran war left traffic in the Strait of Hormuz almost paralyzed.
The closure of the pipeline bypassing Hormuz last week further worsened an energy market already affected by supply shortages and raised oil prices. Saudi Aramco, the state oil company, seeks to restore the pipeline to approximately half its capacity within days and reach full capacity in about six weeks, according to a person familiar with the matter, which caused oil prices to reduce some of their gains, although they remain around $100 per barrel.
This latest event could also pose a challenge for the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The attack on the pipeline and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran have caused a collapse in Saudi Arabia’s oil exports. The new hostilities now threaten to affect the kingdom’s efforts to attract investment and tourism to diversify its economy.
Next month, Riyadh is scheduled to host Saudi Arabia’s flagship investment conference, called the Future Investment Initiative. This year’s edition is expected to feature numerous high-profile Wall Street executives, including Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co., and David Solomon, of Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
