Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence on Saturday morning, September 19, issued a second warning over potential danger in Riyadh and Al-Kharj Governorate through the National Early Warning Platform for Emergencies. The danger in those areas later passed.
The authority had earlier issued a warning for Riyadh and Al-Kharj Governorate, before issuing the latest alert.
In a statement on X, the Civil Defence urged residents to follow official safety instructions and avoid gatherings and filming.
For their safety, residents were urged to remain calm, follow official Civil Defence instructions and move to a safe place. They were also advised to avoid gatherings and filming.
Civil Defence said people should call 998 in case of an emergency.
Flight-tracking data showed flights bound for Riyadh International Airport being diverted or placed on hold amid a recent wave of ballistic missiles reportedly fired by Ansarallah towards targets near the Saudi capital.
Despite the reported flight disruptions, local Civil Defence authorities issued an all-clear for residents in Riyadh and warned against sharing footage of the strikes online.
Earlier, the authority had also issued warnings in Jeddah, Taif, Abha, Jazan Province, Yanbu, Al-Ula Governorate and Farasan Governorate. The danger later passed in those areas.
Such early warning alerts are typically issued when areas of Saudi Arabia face potential attacks or threats from the Houthi group in Yemen.
Saudi authorities said on Wednesday, September 16, that their air defences had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Makkah before it entered the holy city’s prohibited airspace.
The Houthis denied targeting Makkah or any Islamic holy site. Military spokesperson Yahya Saree rejected the allegation, saying the group’s operations were directed at Saudi targets.
The incident came amid wider tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, which has carried out further attacks against Saudi territory.
Saudi Civil Defence reported on X that falling debris from an intercepted drone killed one person and injured two others in Taif on Thursday.
Separately, drones originating from Iraq damaged three pumping stations along Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline, temporarily disrupting the key oil-export route.
