Residents of Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh were given the all-clear after air raid alerts were issued and explosions were heard as tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis continued to escalate.
The alerts, issued late Friday and early Saturday by Saudi Civil Defence, marked the first time Riyadh had received air raid warnings since the Houthis intensified their attacks and declared a “maritime embargo” against Saudi Arabia in July.
Reuters and AFP journalists reported hearing explosions in the capital. Authorities later said the immediate danger had passed and urged residents to avoid gathering in crowds.
Houthi attacks raise regional tensions
The latest developments come after the Houthis seized the strategic Yemeni port city of Mokha and Perim Island, which sits near a major shipping route connecting the Red Sea with international trade routes.
The group’s military spokesman said the maritime blockade was imposed in retaliation for what the Houthis described as a Saudi blockade of ports and airports in areas under their control in north-western Yemen.
Saudi vessels have increasingly relied on Red Sea routes for oil exports to Asia and Europe after the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran severely disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Last week, the Houthis launched drone and missile attacks against several Saudi oil facilities. The strikes caused fires and temporarily disrupted operations at some facilities.
The attacks have added pressure to global energy markets, with fuel prices in several countries rising sharply in recent weeks amid wider disruptions to oil and shipping routes.
Saudi Arabia seeks US support
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has personally asked US President Donald Trump to take military action against the Houthis, according to two sources familiar with the matter cited by CBS News, the BBC’s US media partner.
Trump has so far declined to directly involve US forces in the conflict, instead offering intelligence and targeting assistance, the sources said.
Trump says Iran war may be nearing end as Houthi-Saudi fighting escalates
A senior Trump administration official told the BBC that Washington remained in contact with Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s internationally recognised government over regional stability.
Earlier this week, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group had launched drones and missiles toward Saudi Arabia in response to more than 450 Saudi air strikes on Houthi-controlled areas over the previous week.
UN calls for freedom of navigation
The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting on Tuesday, where Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s government called for stronger international action against the Houthis.
They accused the group of attempting to restrict shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait as a means of putting economic pressure on the region.
Security Council members stressed the need to preserve freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and prevent further disruption to global supply chains.
Yemen has been embroiled in civil war since 2014, when the Houthis seized control of Sanaa and removed the government from the capital. The conflict escalated in 2015 after a Saudi-led coalition intervened in an effort to restore the government.
The prolonged war has reportedly killed more than 150,000 people and created one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. The United Nations estimates that more than 22 million people in Yemen require some form of humanitarian assistance.
