Houthi-Saudi Clashes Intensify... First Air Raid Alert in Riyadh Amid Explosions

As the armed conflict between the Yemeni Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia intensifies, a public air raid warning was issued for the first time in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

According to reports from the BBC and other British media on September 19 (local time), the Saudi Civil Defense Authority issued air raid warnings overnight through the morning in several regions, including Riyadh. There were repeated reports of explosions in Riyadh, but the alert was later lifted.

Newly recruited Yemeni Houthi rebel members are marching in the Amran region in the northwest on the 20th (local time). Photo by Yonhap News Agency

This alert is the first air raid warning issued for Riyadh since the Houthis escalated attacks targeting Saudi Arabia and declared a maritime blockade in July.

The Houthi side claimed that Saudi Arabia carried out 26 attacks on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in the past 24 hours. Previously, they also claimed that the number of Saudi attacks reached 300 in the past week. Yemeni government forces, supported by Saudi Arabia, are engaged in clashes with Houthi rebels in regions such as Taiz province.

Recently, the Houthis have expanded their influence by seizing areas including the port of Mocha in western Yemen and Perim Island at the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea. As attacks toward Saudi territory continued, the scope of alerts widened from Mecca and Jeddah to now include the capital, Riyadh.

The Houthis launched missile and drone attacks targeting Aramco facilities in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, as well as the Khamis Mushait air base, while Saudi Arabia carried out airstrikes on Houthi bases and communication facilities in Yemen.

The United Nations Security Council urged an immediate halt to attacks, warning that Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and assaults and threats against ships in the Red Sea could escalate the conflict, threatening maritime security and international trade. Since September, more than 125,000 people are reported to have fled their homes in Yemen.

As the clashes between the two sides intensify, concerns are mounting that the Yemeni civil war, which had remained relatively stagnant since the 2022 ceasefire, may once again escalate into full-scale war.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.