Key Takeaways
- Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency issued warnings for Makkah, Jeddah, Taif, and Yanbu.
- The alerts were rescinded minutes later, but residents were instructed to proceed to safe places.
- The warnings came amid ongoing attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis on Saudi infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency issued warnings of ‘potential danger’ for four of its western provinces, including Makkah, home to Islam’s holiest city, on Saturday. The alerts, which also covered the major Red Sea city of Jeddah, nearby Taif, and the coastal oil hub of Yanbu, were rescinded minutes later.
Residents were instructed to proceed to the nearest safe place by the agency, which also reiterated a legal warning against sharing images or information related to ‘countering missiles and drones’.
The warnings came as Saudi Arabia has faced repeated attacks from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis in recent weeks. The group, which is fighting the Saudi-backed internationally recognised government, has targeted the kingdom’s oil infrastructure as well as its airports.
An attack on Riyadh airport earlier this month killed 13 people and wounded dozens more, highlighting the ongoing threat to the country’s security.
The war had been dormant since a ceasefire in 2022, but erupted again in July as the wider Middle East war roiled the region.
Saudi Arabia leads a military coalition that first intervened in the conflict, which has devastated Yemen and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, in 2015.
The civil defence agency’s warnings reflect the ongoing tension and potential for further attacks in the region, as the conflict continues to impact Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure and daily life.
