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Saudi Arabia activated its early warning system in six cities after an apparent threat from Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, urging residents to seek shelter and remain indoors before authorities declared that the danger had passed about half an hour later.
The Saudi Civil Defense Directorate announced that danger alerts were issued in Jazan, Abha, Taif, Jeddah, Khamis Mushait and Yanbu, including several cities near the country's border with Yemen.
The Civil Defense Directorate called on people who received warning messages to remain calm and follow instructions from official authorities.
Residents were told to move to the nearest safe location until the danger passed, preferably to an interior room away from windows, and to remain inside their homes or buildings. Those outdoors were instructed to enter the nearest building or take cover behind a solid barrier.
The alerts were issued after Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of responsibility for drones sent toward the capital, Sanaa, and threatened to retaliate. However, Saudi authorities did not provide details about the nature of the danger or explain what had triggered the alerts.
Houthis said earlier that Saudi Arabia had carried out 26 airstrikes against areas under their control over the previous 24 hours, with F-15 aircraft launched from Khamis Mushait Air Base targeting Taiz governorate.
The group's spokesman also put the number of Saudi airstrikes at 300 over the past week, saying F-15 and Typhoon aircraft operating from the Khamis Mushait and Taif air bases had targeted Taiz, Hajjah, Marib, Al Jawf, Al Bayda, Amran, Lahj, Hodeidah and Saada governorates.
The claims came as fighting between the Houthis and forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognized government intensified, ending a period of relative calm that had largely held since 2022. The renewed fighting has rapidly shifted control across several areas, particularly along Yemen's Red Sea coast.
The Houthis have pushed further along the Red Sea, claiming control of key coastal areas and positions around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Their advance has heightened tensions around the strategic maritime route linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
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