Several explosions were heard in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh on Thursday, including a large blast near the city’s international airport, as the kingdom faced fresh attacks a day after authorities reported deadly strikes on two airports.
A witness told The Associated Press that fire and ambulance crews were deployed and smoke was seen following the blasts. The cause of the explosions was not immediately known, and no group had claimed responsibility.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was “closed again,” flight-tracking service Flightradar24 said in a post on X, reporting that the last landing was more than 80 minutes earlier and the last takeoff more than 90 minutes earlier.
The witness, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media, said outgoing flights had been halted and passengers were told to leave their checked-in luggage behind and evacuate the airport. The extent of the flight disruptions was not immediately known.
Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The explosions had an immediate impact on financial markets and oil prices, with crude prices rising sharply.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen have repeatedly claimed attacks on airports, military installations and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia in recent days.
On Wednesday, Saudi officials said attacks claimed by the Houthis on two airports had killed three people and wounded dozens of others. A strike on King Khalid airport killed a Sudanese national and injured eight people, while another attack on Abha airport killed Moroccan and Algerian residents and wounded 28 others, officials said.
The attacks have heightened concerns over Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, as the kingdom becomes increasingly involved in the latest front of the Iran war.
Over the weekend, Saudi Arabia and allied Yemeni forces launched a major ground and air offensive to retake territory seized by the Houthis a month ago along Yemen’s western Red Sea coast and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Houthis’ presence in the strategic waterway threatens an important alternative shipping route to the Strait of Hormuz, where maritime traffic has been reduced amid the Iran war.
Also Wednesday, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, said coalition forces had destroyed a platform in the rebel-held Yemeni capital Sanaa that had been used to launch attacks on Riyadh.