RIYADH(National Times)- At least 53 people were killed and 200 others injured on Monday in a Houthi attack on a government security forces training camp in Yemen\u2019s Shabwa province, local authorities said, as fighting in the impoverished country intensifies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Local sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Houthis launched three ballistic missiles at security forces during a training exercise. Video from Shabwa province verified by Reuters showed injured people and bloodied bodies scattered across the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The attack came amid escalating hostilities between the Houthis and Yemen\u2019s internationally recognised government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, with both sides trading attacks since the group advanced in September toward territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic shipping chokepoint at the mouth of the Red Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fighting in Yemen has become another front in the wider US-Israeli war with Iran, as the Houthis step up attacks on Saudi Arabia, the world\u2019s largest crude oil exporter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Riyadh alerts<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saudi authorities on Monday issued brief phone alerts to residents of the capital, Riyadh, and the nearby Kharj area, warning of a \u201chostile aerial threat\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA warning has been issued by the National Early Warning Platform in Riyadh City to alert of a potential danger,\u201d Saudi civil defence said in a statement on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hours later, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for six military operations over 48 hours using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saree said the attacks targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast and the Shaybah oil field near the United Arab Emirates border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other strikes targeted Abha International Airport, radar installations and Khamis Mushait air base in the southwest, alongside a naval camp and radar site in Bir Askar in the south.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saree claimed the three-stage attack on the Riyadh airport achieved \u201caccurate and direct\u201d strikes in retaliation for more than 200 Saudi airstrikes and missile attacks on Houthi-held areas over the previous 48 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He vowed to continue operations \u201ctowards the Saudi interior\u201d under a policy of \u201cescalation for escalation\u201d until attacks on Yemen cease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Work from home<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amid the repeated cross-border strikes, government agencies in Riyadh instructed employees to work from home starting from Monday, according to a worker and two consultants who spoke to AFP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An internal message sent on Sunday evening said, \u201cIt has been decided to implement remote work from Monday to Thursday this week,\u201d while asking staff to \u201ccontinue their activities as normal\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, the 99-storey Kingdom Centre in downtown Riyadh, which hou\u00adses the regional office of the International Monetary Fund, asked employees to stay away until further notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Companies in the King Abdullah Financial District, home to major American firms, issued similar remote-work directives, while government offices in central Riyadh\u2019s Al-Olaya district were evacuated two weeks earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The worsening security situation prompted US embassies across the Gulf, Israel, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan to urge the Americans on Monday to exercise heightened vigilance eight months into the US-Iran war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAmericans currently in the Middle East should exercise heightened vigilance due to the complex security environment,\u201d the security alert said, warning of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Noting that Riyadh\u2019s international airport remained closed, the alert warned that \u201cthe hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond that immediate area\u201d and urged citizens to prepare contingency plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vote delayed, conference postponed<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As regional concerns mount, Egypt\u2019s parliament postponed until Oct 26 a vote on authorising the armed forces to support Saudi Arabia if requested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lawmakers adjourned a second closed-door session on Monday to discuss President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi\u2019s request for authority to back the kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While el-Sissi said on Saturday that Egypt would take \u201cany measure\u201d necessary to protect its Gulf allies, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party instructed its lawmakers to abstain, citing economic pressures, risks to Suez Canal revenue and insufficient information on the mission\u2019s scope and risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The escalating conflict has also disrupted Saudi Arabia\u2019s business calendar, prompting organisers on Monday to postpone the flagship Future Investment Initiative conference until 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scheduled for Oct 26-29 and informally known as \u201cDavos in the Desert,\u201d the 10th edition of the state-backed event was set to feature executives including Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters and Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While organisers said the postponement would ensure the event delivered \u201cthe full scale, extraordinary quality, and unforgettable impact that our community has come to expect\u201d, Semafor reported that major financial firms had privately conveyed safety concerns to Saudi Public Investment Fund Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RIYADH(National Times)- At least 53 people were killed and 200 others injured on Monday in a Houthi attack on a government security forces training camp in Yemen\u2019s Shabwa province, local authorities said, as fighting in the impoverished country intensifies. Local sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Houthis launched three ballistic missiles at security […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n