Saudi Civil Defence announced that the capital, Riyadh, was safe early Saturday, after having warned residents of the risk several hours earlier for the second time in two days, as Iran-aligned Houthis continue their attacks on the kingdom. Riyadh Houthi Attacks
The warning was the first for Riyadh since the Houthi rebels in Yemen began their intensified attack on Saudi Arabia, and came at the same time as a warning for the Farasan archipelago in the southwest of the kingdom.
According to Reuters, the journalist heard two explosions in Riyadh’s Olaya district before authorities indicated that the danger had passed.
People were asked to remain calm and follow the instructions of local authorities, and not to gather or take photos in the area, while emergency services were available to those who needed them. The Saudis did not indicate what the threat was.
The scare came hours after a Houthi military spokesperson claimed the group had thwarted unspecified “criminal attempts” in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, blaming Saudi Arabia and vowing retaliation.
Riyadh’s government media office did not immediately respond to the claim. The Houthis, who control Yemen’s most populous areas and much of the country’s north, have escalated strikes on Saudi Arabia since declaring a naval blockade against the kingdom in July, targeting Saudi vessels in the Red Sea.
The group has also seized Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline in a rapid advance this month and claims Saudi forces have carried out hundreds of retaliatory airstrikes in recent days.
The UN Security Council condemned the Houthi attacks in a statement Friday, citing strikes that have hit civilian and energy infrastructure and injured civilians, including women and children.
The escalation adds a new front to the broader instability gripping the Gulf since the outbreak of the Iran war in February, with Saudi Arabia previously reporting explosions and intercepted missiles targeting military installations near the capital. Alawasat News
