RIYADH: Saudi Arabia issued emergency warnings across several cities Friday and early Saturday, urging residents to seek shelter as tensions rose amid intensified attacks linked to Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
Alerts issued across several regions
Saudi Civil Defense activated the National Early Warning Platform on Friday in Jeddah, Taif, Yanbu, AlUla, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Abha.
The alerts warned residents of potential danger but did not specify the nature of the threat. Authorities later issued all-clear messages in the affected areas.
Residents were instructed to remain calm, follow official safety guidance and move to the nearest safe location inside a building. Civil Defense advised people to stay in interior rooms away from windows and avoid open areas, balconies, rooftops and glass structures.
People who were outdoors were told to enter the nearest building or take cover behind a solid barrier. Authorities also urged residents not to gather, take photographs or approach potentially hazardous locations.
Riyadh, Al-Kharj receive early-morning alerts
The warnings extended to Riyadh and nearby Al-Kharj early Saturday.
The first alert was issued at about 2:58 a.m. local time, followed by an all-clear minutes later. Witnesses reported hearing at least two explosions in Riyadh.
A second warning was issued for Riyadh and Al-Kharj at about 5:19 a.m., with Civil Defense declaring the danger over more than 10 minutes later.
A similar alert was issued for the Farasan Islands in southwestern Saudi Arabia, although authorities did not immediately specify the nature of the threat.
One warning received by Riyadh residents said the area was under a “hostile aerial threat.”
Alerts follow Houthi threats
The latest warnings came amid an increase in Houthi attacks targeting Saudi Arabia.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree recently accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out what he called “criminal attempts” in Sanaa and threatened retaliation. Saudi authorities did not publicly identify a specific attack as the trigger for the latest alerts.
The Houthis control Sanaa and large parts of northern and western Yemen. The group has intensified drone and missile attacks against Saudi targets as fighting has expanded along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
The escalation follows a period of relative calm after a 2022 truce halted large-scale fighting in Yemen. The renewed violence has also raised concerns over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a major shipping route linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Drone debris kills Yemeni resident
The latest warnings came a day after debris from an intercepted Houthi drone fell in Taif, killing a Yemeni resident and injuring a Saudi woman and a Pakistani resident.
Saudi authorities said the Pakistani resident was critically injured and that several buildings and vehicles were damaged.
The incident followed Saudi Arabia’s interception of another drone south of Makkah earlier in the week. Saudi authorities said the drone was attempting to enter the holy city’s airspace, while the Houthis denied targeting MSaudi Arabia Sends Danger Alerts to Residents in Several Citiesakkah.
Saudi energy infrastructure under pressure
Saudi Arabia has also faced attacks attributed by its authorities to Iran-aligned Iraqi militias.
On Sept. 11, drones struck areas in the Riyadh and Madinah regions, prompting the temporary closure of the kingdom’s East-West oil pipeline. Saudi Arabia said the drones originated from Iraq and called on Baghdad to prevent further attacks.
The 1,200-kilometer pipeline is strategically important because it allows Saudi crude to reach the Red Sea while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, another major route for global energy shipments.
The attacks have added pressure to regional energy and shipping routes already affected by the wider Middle East conflict.
Yemen crisis deepens
The renewed fighting has also worsened the humanitarian situation in Yemen.
More than 100,000 people have been displaced by the recent fighting, while thousands have fled across the Red Sea to Djibouti, according to recent reports.
Fighting has intensified along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, while the Houthis’ growing presence near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has increased concerns over civilian safety and international shipping.
Saudi authorities have urged residents to rely on official emergency notifications and remain indoors until an all-clear is issued.
