Saudi Arabia briefly issues threat alerts for 2 southwestern cities

Brief alerts were issued in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern cities of Jizan and Najran to warn of a "potential danger," the Saudi Civil Defense announced Saturday.

"The danger has passed in Najran City," the civil defense wrote on US social media platform X, several minutes after issuing the alert.

It called on people to follow official instructions and to "avoid gathering and filming."

Earlier Saturday, the Saudi Civil Defense issued a similar warning for the city of Jizan before announcing that the danger was over.

Later, Houthi group claimed it had carried out six operations using ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, targeting sites in Saudi Arabia and forces in Yemen.

The group said four operations targeted King Khalid International Airport and Aramco facilities in Riyadh, additional Aramco facilities in Khurais, a pumping station in Al-Dawadmi and a Saudi National Guard camp in Najran. It said the other two targeted Saudi-aligned forces in Yemen’s Al-Jawf and Marib provinces.

The Houthis said the operations were in retaliation for “Saudi aggression,” citing two attacks in Yemen’s Taiz and Sanaa provinces that they said killed or wounded dozens of civilians.

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

The current escalation began in July after a period of relative calm following a UN-brokered truce that started in April 2022.