RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Management at the Kingdom Centre, one of the most recognizable skyscrapers in Riyadh, instructed corporate tenants to work from home on Sunday following a wave of drone and missile threats launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The mandatory remote-work directive applies to all office workers inside the 99-story landmark tower until further notice, according to an internal email reported by Agence France-Presse. The skyscraper houses regional branches of high-profile international institutions, including investment bank Merrill Lynch, consulting firm McKinsey & Company, and the International Monetary Fund. Building management did not publish a specific reason for the closure, and the commercial shopping mall situated at the tower’s base remained open to visitors.
Air defenses engage targets over capital
The precautionary evacuation coincided with heightened security concerns across the kingdom. The Saudi-led military coalition announced that its air defenses brought down two hostile drones over the Riyadh metropolitan area and shot down a third drone over the oil-rich Eastern Province early Sunday, AFP and DW reported. Coalition forces also reported intercepting two ballistic missiles over southern Saudi Arabia.
Urban disruptions have multiplied throughout the capital since a major Oct. 10 strike on King Khalid International Airport left 13 people dead and more than 300 injured, according to Fox News. The primary airport serving the capital remained closed, and educational authorities ordered public schools across Riyadh and neighboring districts to maintain remote instruction for a second consecutive week.
Cross-border violence also inflicted casualties along the southern frontier on Sunday. Saudi civil defense officials confirmed that a projectile hit a residential neighborhood in the border city of Najran, leaving six people wounded and damaging three vehicles and three houses, Fox News reported.
Casualties and conflicting claims along the border
The coalition also sustained its first military fatalities since the recent escalation intensified. Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said an AH-6i reconnaissance helicopter crashed in Najran due to a mechanical failure, killing both crew members on board. Houthi military representatives disputed that explanation, alleging their fighters downed an Apache helicopter in the area.
Inside Yemen, fighting has raged on several fronts following Houthi advances along the Red Sea coast. Houthi-run media reported that an alleged coalition airstrike in Saada governorate killed nine people and injured 16 others on Sunday, while Yemeni government forces reported deadly clashes in Taiz and Lahij provinces.
Regional allies weigh defense commitments
The escalating attacks have prompted neighboring governments to prepare potential collective security measures. Foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council convened in Manama, Bahrain, issuing a joint declaration that confirmed their mutual defense pact and stressed that an assault against any member nation represents an attack on all six member states, Al Jazeera reported.
Simultaneously, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi asked his country’s parliament to convene an emergency session to approve defensive military assistance for Riyadh if requested, according to Reuters. Egyptian lawmakers began discussions on Sunday and scheduled additional deliberations for Monday before casting a final vote.
Diplomatic discussions are expanding swiftly. Saudi officials held separate talks Sunday with counterparts from Russia and the United Arab Emirates regarding maritime navigation threats near the Bab al-Mandab strait and the Strait of Hormuz, while French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot was expected in Riyadh ahead of a regional tour by French President Emmanuel Macron.
