Saudi civil defence sounds all-clear after alerts in southern cities

​Saudi Arabia's civil ​defence authority on Monday ‌said the ​threat had passed shortly after issuing alerts for the southern ‌and western cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha, Taif and Najran, amid weeks of escalating hostilities with Yemen's Houthis.

The Saudi-led ‌coalition in Yemen later said it had intercepted ‌and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Iran-aligned Houthis towards the southern region of Saudi Arabia. Southern Saudi Arabia, which ⁠borders ​Yemen, has ⁠come under repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks targeting military installations ⁠and energy infrastructure, including Jazan, home to a 400,000-barrel-per-day oil ​refinery on the Red Sea coast.

Saudi Arabia ⁠has also carried out airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, ⁠as ​the renewed fighting heightens risks to the kingdom's oil production and exports. The Houthis have also ⁠targeted Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline and oil export facilities in ⁠Yanbu, ⁠a key Red Sea outlet for Saudi crude shipments.