Cairo: Several explosions were heard in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, on Thursday, including a large blast at the city's international airport, a witness told The Associated Press, a day after the kingdom said an attack there killed one person and wounded others.
The cause of Thursday's blasts was not immediately known, and there was no immediate claim of responsibility. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen have claimed attacks on airports, military installations and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia in recent days.
The explosions had an immediate effect on markets and oil prices, with crude prices jumping.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh had “closed again”, the flight-tracking service Flightradar24 said on Thursday in a post on X. “Last landing 80+ minutes ago. Last take off 90+ minutes ago.”
Fire and ambulance crews were deployed, and smoke was visible, the witness said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
The witness said outgoing flights had been halted and passengers were instructed to leave their checked-in luggage behind and evacuate the airport. It was not immediately clear how many flights had been disrupted.
Saudi authorities did not respond to requests for comment.
On Wednesday, Saudi officials said attacks on two airports claimed by the Houthis had killed three people and wounded dozens. The attack on King Khalid International Airport killed a Sudanese national and wounded eight others, while the attack on Abha airport killed Moroccan and Algerian residents and wounded 28 others, officials said.
Attacks on Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, have raised alarm. Over the weekend, Saudi Arabia and allied Yemeni forces launched a major ground and air offensive aimed at retaking territory seized by the Houthis a month ago along Yemen's western Red Sea coast and near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Houthis' presence near the waterway threatens a key alternative shipping route to the Strait of Hormuz, where maritime traffic has been curtailed due to the Iran war.
Also on Wednesday, Major General Turki al-Malki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, said forces had destroyed a platform in the rebel-held Yemeni capital of Sanaa that had been used to launch attacks on Riyadh. The AP could not independently verify the claim.