Diplomats, schools take shelter in Saudi capital

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Diplomats were instructed to shelter in place in their respective embassies in the Saudi capital on Thursday, diplomats told Agence France-Presse (AFP), as residents said international schools were also taking precautions, with at least one facility sending children into a basement for safety.

The measures came after repeated blasts were heard in the city, in one of the loudest disturbances since the beginning of the Middle East war.

Two people working in Riyadh’s business hub — the King Abdullah Financial District — also told AFP that some companies were evacuating staff from the area.

Several explosions echoed across the Saudi capital Riyadh on Thursday, AFP journalists heard, during the war between the kingdom and Houthi fighters in Yemen.

The Iran-backed group has claimed repeated attacks targeting Riyadh airport in recent days along with salvos aimed at critical infrastructure and military sites elsewhere in Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis also claimed a flurry of attacks on Saudi targets on Wednesday including firing a ballistic missile at Riyadh airport, as the group battles for territory in Yemen against government forces supported by the kingdom.

The Houthis, who control most of northwest Yemen, captured swathes of coastal land from Yemen’s pro-government forces last month after the country’s civil war reignited in July.

The internationally recognized government this week declared a counter-offensive and claims to have uprooted Houthi fighters from strategic areas on the Red Sea and the port city of Mocha.

But the Iran-backed Houthis say they are holding their territory, and military sources from both sides contacted by AFP have not reported any major changes on the ground.

Claims by both sides have been impossible to independently verify with the situation moving fast and access for journalists difficult.