Saudi Arabia issued its first airstrike warning in the capital of the country as clashes in Yemen have intensified again. Residents of Riyadh were affected by this situation when they heard explosions early Saturday morning.
Increased Threats from Houthis
The Houthis have launched rapid attacks this month and have seized areas in one of the poorest countries in the world. This situation has put the Yemeni government, which is supported by Saudi Arabia, under intense pressure to respond to these developments.
As a regional power, Saudi Arabia has carried out several airstrikes on areas controlled by the Houthis, but has not succeeded in halting their advance. The country has also requested assistance from its ally, the United States, but this request has yet to yield results.
Warnings and Concerns of Residents
This is the first time that a threat has been directed at the Saudi capital following the resurgence of the Yemeni civil war, and this could impact the global economy, which is affected by the war between the United States and Iran. Following this warning, a message was sent to residents of Riyadh advising them to stay in their homes.
Residents of Riyadh felt fear and concern upon hearing the warning and the shaking of windows. One resident of the city stated that he did not expect such a situation, saying, "It was really scary." Another resident described the attack as "terrifying" and expressed concern that the signal "danger averted" was not issued immediately.
Saudi Arabia has not yet responded to the threats mentioned in nighttime warnings to residents of several areas and has not identified the source of these threats. This incident occurred after Saudi Arabia claimed that Mecca was targeted by the Houthis on Wednesday, which it called a "cowardly terrorist attack."
The Houthis have strongly denied this claim, calling it an "old lie." This group has reported that Saudi Arabia conducts airstrikes daily in retaliation for these attacks.
As these attacks and clashes continue, statistics show that over 112,000 people have been displaced due to this war, and nearly 3,000 others have fled towards Djibouti.
