Massive black smoke plume seen near Riyadh airport amid Houthi escalation

A large column of black smoke and flames was seen near Riyadh's international airport on Saturday, hours after air raid alerts were issued across the Saudi capital.

The sighting came amid reports of several apparent explosions in Riyadh and major disruption at King Khalid International Airport. Flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 reported long delays and cancellations, while the BBC reported significant problems at the airport.

One report suggested that a fuel tank near the airport had caught fire. The cause of the fire and the reported explosions was not immediately clear, and Saudi authorities had not issued an official explanation.

An AFP journalist at the scene reported seeing firefighters attempting to extinguish flames from a burnt-out fuel tank belonging to Saudi state oil and gas company Aramco. Residents also told AFP they had heard what sounded like a series of explosions after the alerts were issued.

“In the direction of the airport we saw black smoke and fire,” one resident told AFP on condition of anonymity.- EndsPublished By: Ritaban MisraPublished On: Sep 19, 2026 19:45 IST