Explosions occur in Riyadh

A column of black smoke was seen near Riyadh's international airport hours after air raid alerts were issued in the Saudi capital on Saturday. 
An Aramco fuel tank near Riyadh's international airport was on fire Saturday, according to a journalist, after people in the city reported hearing explosions.
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.
Saudi Arabia warned of a “hostile aerial threat” and issued a string of emergency alerts across the kingdom overnight, including the first alert in its capital since an escalation in fighting with Iran-backed rebels in neighboring Yemen. Residents of the Saudi capital were urged to stay indoors.
 A number of apparent explosions were heard in the capital and major problems were reported at King Khalid International Airport, with the tracking website FlightRadar24 reporting delays and cancellations earlier in the day.
Hours after the early morning alert, residents told the media on condition of anonymity that they heard what sounded like a round of explosions echoing through parts of the Saudi capital.  
"In the direction of the airport, we saw black smoke and fire," one resident said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, the US Department of State said on Thursday that it has approved a potential $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets and related equipment to Saudi Arabia, according to a Congressional notification. The potential sale would mark the first delivery of F-35s to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia made a direct appeal for Lockheed Martin's fighter jets in early 2025 to US President Donald Trump. In November 2025, Trump had announced that Washington intended to sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia. The proposed sale includes 48 F-35 aircraft and 49 Pratt & Whitney F135 engines, along with associated equipment, training and logistical support.
The State Department said the sale would strengthen Saudi Arabia’s ability to deter current and future threats, bolster its homeland defense and improve interoperability with US and other allied forces.
Fighting in southern Yemen between Saudi-backed government forces and Iran-backed Houthi fighters has killed 48 people in recent hours, military sources from both sides told AFP on Saturday.
According to government military sources, 17 troops were killed, while the Houthis reported 31 of their fighters killed in the past day.
Meanwhile, The US military’s price tag for the Iran war has grown to $43.6 billion as of 3 September, according to a new estimate provided this week to lawmakers.
Russia and China on Thursday vetoed a US-backed resolution at the United Nations that sought to keep a panel of experts monitoring sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program, dealing a blow to international oversight efforts. 
On the other hand, Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied Friday in a government-organized show of defiance after months of war, pledging their readiness to take up arms in the biggest such demonstration since the United States and Israel attacked in February.
Iran’s government has sought to rally the people and stress national unity, even as the economy worsens under a US naval blockade of Iranian ports and new US sanctions. On Friday, it claimed another attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway it has sought to control since the start of the war.

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