Newsletters
Saudi Arabia issued brief emergency alerts Tuesday warning of "potential danger" in the holy city of Mecca and the governorates of Jeddah and Taif, marking the first such alert for Mecca since the recent conflict with the Houthis began, according to Saudi Civil Defense.
The alerts, issued through the National Early Warning Platform for Emergencies, were lifted shortly after being issued. Authorities did not specify the nature of the potential danger.
"The danger has passed in Mecca City. For your safety, continue following #CivilDefense instructions and avoid gathering and filming. In case of emergency, call (911)," Civil Defense said on the social media platform X.
Residents were urged to remain calm and immediately move to the nearest safe place, preferably inside a building or an interior room away from windows, and to stay there until the danger passed.
Civil Defense advised people to stay away from open areas, windows, balconies and rooftops, while those outdoors were told to enter the nearest building or shelter behind a solid barrier.
The alerts came a day after a series of ballistic missile and drone attacks launched from Yemen injured 13 people in southern Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has faced repeated attacks from Iran-backed Houthi forces in recent days amid escalating clashes between the two sides, with Saudi forces responding with strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen.
Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure with ballistic missiles and drones, describing them as a "dangerous criminal escalation."
He said their continuation represented "a blatant violation of international law and a direct threat to the security and stability" of Saudi Arabia.
Budaiwi said GCC member states "stand united alongside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" and fully support measures taken by Riyadh to protect its territory, security and population.
Confrontations between Yemen's internationally recognized government forces and the Houthis have escalated since early July, following years of relative calm.
The country has been engulfed in war since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in 2014 before a Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
