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Riyadh schools told parents on Sunday they would switch to remote learning for a week on orders from Saudi authorities, giving no official reason, a day after Houthi drones targeting the capital were intercepted.
"We have just been informed by Saudi authorities that schools must remain closed all week," read two separate messages to parents seen by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The move comes amid heightened Gulf tensions and near-daily attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, whose escalating strikes since July have shattered a years-long truce and drawn Yemen into the wider Middle East war.
Parents across Riyadh received the last-minute emails from schools on Sunday. No official explanation for the closure has been given.
"When a decision affects an entire school community for a full week, families deserve clear communication and transparency about the reasons behind it," a parent living in Riyadh told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"It's a last-minute decision. We have no clue what's happening," a Lebanese expatriate in Riyadh said.
Teaching and administrative staff were also ordered to work remotely via the Madrasati platform.
The Education Ministry has not issued a public statement.
The Saudi-led coalition said Saturday its air defenses "intercepted and destroyed two drones launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards the Riyadh area."
Saudi air defenses also destroyed two Houthi ballistic missiles targeting Khamis Mushait, a southwestern city that is home to an air base, a coalition spokesman said.
Hezam Al-Assad, a member of the Houthi Political Bureau, said Saturday: "Despite the operation's strength, scope, and impact, our armed forces view it as merely a small-scale rehearsal for a full-scale escalation."
The Houthis have imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, attacked its tankers and seized much of Yemen's Red Sea coast, which is vital for oil exports.
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi condemned the attacks on Saturday.
"This dangerous escalation constitutes a flagrant violation of the Kingdom's sovereignty and poses a direct threat to the security and safety of civilians and the stability of the region," he said in a statement.
He urged the international community to "adopt a firm stance" to end the attacks and hold the Houthis accountable.
The U.N. Security Council earlier condemned the escalating attacks, noting that the strikes have wounded "civilians, including women and children."
On Friday, Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, called for a general mobilization to counter the Houthi offensive. The Houthi ground campaign has displaced 138,000 people across Yemen since August, including 70,000 children, according to the United Nations.
Riyadh schools are set to remain in remote learning through the week, with no official reason yet given for the closure.
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