Saudi Arabia lifts emergency alerts in Taif, Yanbu and Khamis Mushait

Alerts lifted in three provinces

Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense announced on Wednesday that the threat had been lifted in the provinces of Taif and Yanbu in the west of the country and Khamis Mushait in the south. According to Anadolu, citing the agency, the alerts were issued through the National Platform for Early Warning of Emergencies, and residents were advised to follow safety instructions. In subsequent statements, the agency said the danger had passed in all three provinces and urged residents to keep following instructions, not to gather in groups and not to film what was happening. What exactly triggered the alerts has not been disclosed.

Missile interceptions and disagreement over targets

Earlier, the Saudi-led coalition said that air defenses intercepted and destroyed three cruise missiles launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh, as well as two drones directed toward Mecca and the southern regions. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca's airspace: according to their statement, a drone attacked a pumping station in the Yanbu area, while the three missiles targeted Riyadh's main airport. Thus, the sides differ not only in their assessment of the targets but also in their descriptions of the attacks themselves, and none of the versions can be confirmed based on media reports.

Context

The incidents come amid the ongoing confrontation between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition, which backs the internationally recognized government of Yemen. The published reports do not mention any casualties or damage; it remains unknown whether the interceptions were directly linked to the lifted alerts in the three provinces.