Saudi Arabia ends 'potential danger' alert for southern areas

Saudi Arabia announced early Saturday that a "potential danger" alert issued for Sharurah, Taif and Khamis Mushait in the south and southwest of the kingdom has ended.

Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense said on US social media company X that residents should continue to follow instructions for their safety, urging them to strictly avoid gathering in crowds or filming incident sites, even though the alert has ended.

The alerts had urged residents of the three areas to follow official instructions, move to a safe location, stay away from windows, and remain indoors until the danger passed.

The warnings came after Saudi Arabia announced Friday that several attacks on its East-West oil pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions had caused injuries and prompted a precautionary shutdown.

The Saudi Press Agency cited an official Energy Ministry source as saying the pipeline was targeted several times on Thursday morning.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said separately that the pipeline was attacked by several drones launched from Iraq, causing injuries and material damage.

The National Early Warning Platform on Thursday had issued "potential danger" alerts for the southern cities of Abha and Khamis Mushait

The latest alerts followed amid rapidly escalating fighting in neighboring Yemen, where the Houthis have announced taking control of strategic areas near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, including the districts of Hays and Al-Khawkhah in the western Al-Hudaydah province.

Fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis has also intensified on several fronts, particularly in the Taiz, Al-Jawf, and Al-Bayda provinces, amid airstrikes targeting Houthi positions.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of Yemen's internationally recognized government.