Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Official sources and media correspondents in Saudi Arabia have reported the lifting of the previously declared state of alert. Sirens and precautionary warnings had been sounded in the Holy City of Makkah, as well as in the governorates of Jeddah and Taif, just minutes after emergency plans were activated.
Civil Defense Statement and Houthi Attacks on Saudi Cities
Official statements from the Saudi General Directorate of Civil Defense announced that the danger to Makkah, Jeddah, and Taif had passed, following confirmation that aerial threats had ended and the airspace had been secured. These developments on the ground coincide with an announcement by the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen regarding 13 injuries and damage to seven homes and two vehicles. These casualties and damages resulted from intense attacks launched by the Houthi militia on Monday, targeting key cities including Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Taif. Coalition Spokesperson Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki stated that the Houthis employed ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones in these attacks.
Airstrikes and ongoing escalation on Yemeni fronts.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in the Sanaa-based government announced that three people—including two children—were killed and two others injured in Saudi airstrikes targeting the Dhubab and Maqbanah districts of Taiz Governorate. Recently, several Yemeni governorates have witnessed fierce clashes between Yemeni forces and coalition troops, coinciding with intense airstrikes targeting the governorates of Marib, Al-Jawf, Taiz, and Al-Hudaydah.
This mutual escalation on the ground follows the announcement by Yemeni forces last week that they had secured full control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the strategic island of Mayun, extending as far as the Dhubab district. This move came in response to what they described as a policy of “blockade for blockade and escalation for escalation” amidst the ongoing crisis.
