Saudi Arabia issues 4 alerts, including 1 for Riyadh - Anadolu Ajansı

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense issued four early warnings Wednesday, including one for the capital, Riyadh, alerting residents to potential danger in different parts of the kingdom without specifying its nature.

In statements on US social media platform X, the Civil Defense said the National Early Warning Platform for Emergencies had issued two alerts for Najran Province in the south, and one each for Riyadh Province in central Saudi Arabia and Jazan Province in the southwest, urging residents to follow safety instructions.

The latest alert was issued for Jazan, preceded by a second alert for Najran.

The Civil Defense announced that the danger had passed in Riyadh nine minutes after the alert was issued, and in Najran about five minutes after its first alert, urging residents to continue following safety instructions and “completely avoid gathering and filming.”

It did not specify the nature or cause of the danger that prompted the alerts.

The Houthis claimed that they carried out three attacks in southern Saudi Arabia early Wednesday, using a drone and two ballistic missiles.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said a drone hit a radar installation on the Al-Qahmah Peninsula, north of Jazan, and that a ballistic missile struck the Akifah military camp in Najran.

Saree said a second ballistic missile targeted a Saudi Border Guard command-and-control building in Jazan, and that the strike killed and wounded soldiers and officers. He gave no casualty figures.

He claimed separately that a ballistic missile hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, causing extensive damage.

Saree said the airport was unsafe and renewed the group’s demand for international airlines, aviation staff and passengers to avoid Saudi airspace, except above the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

The alerts came amid escalating hostilities between the Houthi group and the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

Saudi Arabia has faced repeated missile and drone attacks by the Houthis in recent weeks.

Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition since March 2015 supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government against the Houthis, who have controlled the capital, Sanaa, and several provinces since September 2014.