Saudi Arabia Lifts Brief Security Alerts Issued Across Several Regions

Saudi Civil Defence issued a series of brief alerts on Thursday, including one covering Mecca city, warning residents of a potential danger. The alerts were later lifted a few minutes after being issued, according to the authority. The National Early Warning Platform also issued notices for Yanbu governorate and the regions of Taif, Jeddah and Tabuk.

Civil Defence did not provide details of any incident or identify a specific threat in its statement. Such alerts have often preceded missile or drone attacks in recent weeks, according to the report. Riyadh last week accused Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement of targeting Mecca with a drone, which Saudi authorities said was intercepted.

The Houthis denied the accusation. Several days later, the group attacked Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, for the first time in years, marking a further escalation in the conflict. The Houthis are fighting a Saudi-led coalition that has supported Yemen’s internationally recognised government since 2015.

The report said the movement has intensified attacks on Saudi territory and shipping, drawing Yemen further into the wider Middle East conflict. Earlier this month, the Houthis seized strategic coastal areas overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb strait after taking territory from Saudi-backed government forces. A fragile truce established in 2022 collapsed in July after the Houthis permitted an Iranian aircraft to land in Sanaa despite Riyadh’s control of Yemeni airspace, the report said.

The group later announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began targeting tankers and Saudi territory.