Smoke, flames seen near Riyadh airport, ‘major’ flight disruptions reported

A large plume of smoke was visible near Riyadh's main airport on Saturday after booms were heard and ​Saudi Arabia ‌sent alerts overnight warning of potential danger around the capital, amid an ⁠escalation in attacks by Yemen's Houthi group. Two residents of the Saudi capital said they saw black smoke and flames emanating from the area near the Riyadh King Khalid International Airport, while other people in the city reported hearing explosions. "In the direction of the airport we saw black smoke and fire," one of the residents told AFP. An Aramco fuel tank the airport was on fire Saturday, according to an AFP journalist. Firefighters could be seen trying to extinguish the flames of a burnt out fuel tank with the Saudi oil giant Aramco logo appearing on the structure. Meanwhile aircraft tracking website FlightRadar24 reported major issues at the airport, including cancellations and delays. The Riyadh King Khalid International Airport was listed under the site's maximum disruption index of 5.0, meaning the airport was seeing "major problems with long delays and several cancelled flights". The disruption follows an overnight air raid alert issued by Saudi authorities. Hours after the ...