Explosions rock Riyadh as diplomats shelter and schools move children to basements

Diplomats in Riyadh were told to shelter in place and international schools took safety measures on Thursday after explosions echoed across the Saudi capital, diplomats and residents told AFP. The Riyadh explosions came hours after Yemen's Houthis claimed their latest attack on Saudi Arabia.

What happened in Riyadh on Thursday?

Repeated blasts were heard in the city, among the loudest disturbances there since the Middle East war began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. Diplomats were told to shelter in their embassies, and at least one international school moved children into a basement.

Riyadh is home to a large number of non-Saudis. Several residents told AFP that international schools were taking precautions after the blasts. Two people working in the King Abdullah Financial District, the capital's business hub, said some companies were evacuating staff from the area.

Are the Riyadh explosions linked to the Houthi attacks?

The explosions came hours after the Houthis claimed their latest attack on the kingdom. The Iran-backed fighters have launched a wave of attacks on Saudi Arabia since they began a major offensive in Yemen against the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government.

The latest blasts followed a day after the Houthis claimed attacks on two international airports. They also repeated a warning to airlines to avoid Saudi airspace.

"On Tuesday and Wednesday... Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport were subjected to attacks targeting their facilities," Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority said. An Egyptian and an Algerian national were killed at Abha airport, while a Sudanese national was killed at Riyadh airport. The attacks wounded 36 people, the agency added.

In a subsequent statement, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis blamed them for the strikes and vowed a response. "The brutal attacks by the Terrorist Houthi Militia on civilian and civilian objects in the Kingdom, most recently targeting (the two airports) will not go unpunished," it wrote on X.

What is happening in Yemen's war?

The Yemen war predates the Iran war, but it had come to a near-standstill in recent years. Last month, the Houthis launched a lightning offensive against government forces. They seized large swathes of territory, including the area around the Bab al-Mandab strait, a key waterway for global shipping and Saudi oil exports.

Fighting in Yemen has in recent weeks become the most active front of the wider regional conflict. Violence has repeatedly shifted focus across the Middle East for months.

After declaring a counter-offensive, Yemen's government claimed to have pushed the fighters out of strategic areas on the Red Sea and the port city of Mocha. The Houthis insist they are holding their territory. Military sources from both sides contacted by AFP have not reported any major changes on the ground.

Saudi Arabia and Yemeni government forces have struggled to contain the Houthis' advance, despite a counter-offensive aimed at recapturing territory. Claims by the warring parties have been impossible to independently verify, as the situation is moving fast and access for journalists is difficult.

How are civilians in Yemen affected by the fighting?

Ordinary civilians are paying the price in Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries. More than 200,000 people have been displaced since July, according to UN data. The humanitarian crisis caused by the war has left most of the population dependent on aid.

On Wednesday, clashes left at least 62 combatants dead, including 37 Houthis, military sources from both camps told AFP. Saba also reported that a Houthi missile wounded five civilians in Taiz, a city held by government forces.

"We went out into the street to check on the wounded and saw young civilians who had been hit," resident Al-Fateh al-Eisaei told AFP. "The Houthi shell landed in the middle of the street, right in an area crowded with civilians."

Mohammed, a 33-year-old charity worker who fled from Mocha to the city of Aden, told AFP that "people there are terrified" of the Houthis.