Saudi Arabia issues first Riyadh air-raid alerts as Houthi attacks intensify

Saudi authorities gave Riyadh the all-clear after air-raid alerts were issued and explosions were reported in the capital, the first such warnings in the city since the Houthis intensified their attacks and declared a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia in July.

The Saudi Civil Defence sent alerts for Riyadh and several other regions late Friday night and early Saturday local time as the kingdom's confrontation with the Iran-backed Houthis continued to escalate.

Reuters and AFP journalists reported hearing explosions in the capital. Authorities later said the danger had passed and urged residents to avoid crowded places.

The alerts came as the Houthis tightened their grip on key Red Sea territory. The group recently seized the strategic port city of Mokha and Perim Island, near a shipping route Saudi Arabia uses to export oil to Asia and Europe.

A Houthi military spokesman said the naval blockade was retaliation for a Saudi blockade of ports and airports in Houthi-controlled northwestern Yemen.

Saudi vessels have depended on that stretch of the Red Sea for oil exports since the US and Israel's war with Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. The narrower options for Saudi crude have added pressure to global energy markets, with petrol and diesel prices rising sharply in many countries in recent weeks on top of costs already driven higher by the Hormuz disruptions.

Last week, the Houthis attacked several Saudi oil facilities with drones and missiles, sparking fires that temporarily halted operations.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, has personally asked US President Donald Trump to take military action against the Houthis, two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News, the BBC's US media partner. Trump has so far declined to involve the US military directly, instead offering intelligence and targeting support, the sources said.

A senior Trump administration official told the BBC: “We are in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen government regarding regional stability.”

Earlier this week, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group had launched drones and missiles at Saudi Arabia in retaliation for more than 450 Saudi air strikes on Houthi territory over the past week.

The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting on Tuesday. Yemen's government and Saudi Arabia both called for more decisive action against the Houthis, accusing them of choking the Bab al-Mandab Strait to apply economic pressure. Council members agreed that freedom of navigation in the Red Sea must be maintained to prevent disruption to global supply chains.

The latest escalation is rooted in a civil war that began in 2014, when the Houthis drove Yemen's government from the capital, Sanaa. The conflict widened in 2015 after a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states intervened to try to restore the government's rule.

The fighting has reportedly killed more than 150,000 people and triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. According to the UN, more than 22 million people need some form of aid.

Additional reporting by Tabby Wilson.

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