Houthis say they targeted Saudi capital with ballistic missiles

Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen say they carried out drone and ballistic missile attacks on the Saudi capital Riyadh, as well as energy sites on the country's Red Sea coast.

Earlier, a column of black smoke was seen rising from fuel tanks near the Saudi capital's international airport, where flights were disrupted temporarily on Saturday.

The US state department urged Americans in the Middle East to "exercise vigilance and be prepared for potential flight cancellations and other travel disruptions".

It added that Americans "should seriously reconsider travel to and through the region".

In a statement posted online, Houthi military spokesman Yahya al-Sarea said a "large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones" had been used to attack "sensitive sites" in Riyadh and Aramco state oil and gas company facilities in Yanbu on the coast.

Earlier, Sarea had accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out 300 strikes across Yemen during the past week.

They have attacked targets inside Saudi Arabia on several occasions in recent months, and said this week that they were responsible for downing a Saudi fighter jet over Yemen.

The Houthis said 31 of their fighters had been killed while government sources said their side had lost 17 soldiers, according to the news agency.

How escalating Saudi oil crisis could drive up prices everywherePublished16 September

Saudi Arabia issues first air raid alerts for Riyadh since Houthis escalated attacksPublished19 September

A number of apparent explosions were heard in Riyadh and major problems were reported at King Khalid International Airport earlier on Saturday, with the tracking website FlightRadar24 reporting delays and cancellations., external