The key facts

  • The emergency alert in Abha was lifted on Tuesday, October 27, after authorities said the danger had passed
  • The nature of the threat in the initial alert was not specified
  • Earlier the same day, a similar alert was declared and then lifted in Najran

Alert lifted in Abha

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday lifted the emergency alert in the southern city of Abha after authorities announced that the danger had passed, Anadolu reports. Earlier, the national early warning platform had warned residents of a potential danger and urged them to follow safety instructions. The nature of the threat was not specified in the initial message.

What the authorities said

In a follow-up notification, the authorities confirmed that the danger in Abha had passed, but urged residents to continue following Civil Defense instructions, strictly avoid crowds and filming, and contact emergency services if necessary. Earlier on Tuesday, a similar emergency alert was issued in another southern city, Najran, and was later also lifted.

Context

According to Anadolu, the alerts came amid an escalation of fighting between Yemen's Houthi group and the Saudi Arabia-led coalition: in recent weeks Riyadh has faced repeated missile and drone threats. The outlet does not directly link the alerts in Abha and Najran to any specific incident, and the nature of the threat in the notifications was not disclosed.