WASHINGTON D.C Sept 20, 2026 – The United States said Saturday that fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis could “escalate rapidly” after the Iran-aligned group claimed missile and drone attacks on the Saudi capital and oil facilities.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group carried out two operations using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones against “sensitive sites” in Riyadh and Aramco facilities in the Red Sea port of Yanbu. He described the attacks as retaliation for Saudi airstrikes on Sanaa.
The Saudi-led coalition said air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired toward Riyadh at dawn. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said attempted strikes on Baish, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu were also thwarted. Saudi authorities reported no casualties.
Residents heard explosions in the capital. A large plume of black smoke later rose from an Aramco fuel depot near King Khalid International Airport, where firefighters put out a blaze on a storage tank. Flights were delayed and canceled for several hours.
The incident triggered the first air-raid alerts in Riyadh since fighting with the Houthis intensified in July, after years of relative calm following a 2022 truce. Alerts were later lifted.
The U.S. State Department said Iranian-supported Houthis had engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including civilian airports, and warned Americans in the region to stay alert for possible flight cancellations and airspace closures. People outside the Middle East were told to “seriously reconsider” travel through the area. President Donald Trump cut short a Camp David weekend and returned to the White House.
The strike on Riyadh marks a new threshold in the renewed Yemen war. Houthis have advanced along the Red Sea coast in recent days, while Saudi forces have stepped up airstrikes. Washington has increased intelligence support to Riyadh but has so far declined to join offensive operations against the group.
Houthis claimed the attacks caused large fires. Saudi officials said the missile aimed at the capital was destroyed in the air and did not confirm a successful strike on the airport depot. Independent reporting established the fire near the airport but not its exact cause.
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