The key facts
- A brief alert was declared on Saturday in the southwestern city of Jizan
- A few minutes later it was announced that the danger had passed
- Residents were asked to follow official instructions, avoid crowds and filming
Alert in Jizan
A brief alert over a 'potential danger' was declared on Saturday in the Saudi southwestern city of Jizan, reported Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense. A few minutes later, the agency announced that the danger had passed. In a message posted on X, residents and visitors of the city were asked to follow official instructions and to 'avoid crowds and filming'.
Context of the regional escalation
According to the Anadolu agency, the alert came amid ongoing missile and drone attacks by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia as part of the military escalation in neighboring Yemen. Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting the internationally recognized Yemeni government in its fight against the Houthis, who have controlled Sanaa and a number of other provinces since 2014. The current escalation began in July after a period of relative calm that followed a UN-brokered ceasefire in effect since April 2022. Publications do not report the specific cause of this alert or its connection to any particular incident.
