Early warning systems were activated in Al-Kharj and Yanbu in Saudi Arabia, coinciding with US reports that Iran had launched a ballistic missile towards a US base, in the first direct attack on Saudi Arabia in about 4 months.
The Saudi General Directorate of Civil Defense announced, in two separate statements, the launch of an alert via the National Early Warning Platform for Emergencies in the governorates of Yanbu and Al-Kharj to warn of a potential danger, calling on citizens and residents to fully comply with the instructions issued by the official authorities until the danger is eliminated.
The directorate stressed the need to follow the guidelines and instructions issued by the competent authorities through official channels, without revealing the nature of the threat or its causes.
The alert was activated shortly after a US official confirmed to Axios that Iran had launched a ballistic missile toward a US military base in Saudi Arabia, in a development that represents the first direct Iranian attack targeting Saudi Arabia in four months.
Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, a correspondent for the Axios website, reported that initial reports spoke of missiles being launched from Iran, without the final destination of all the projectiles or the results of the attack being clear at the time.
No official statements have yet been issued by the United States or Saudi Arabia regarding whether the missile hit its target or was intercepted, and Iran has not officially claimed responsibility for the attack.
However, the Saudi Civil Defense announced shortly after the two warnings were issued that the danger had passed from the governorates of Al-Kharj and Yanbu, without giving further details.
This development comes amid the ongoing military escalation between the United States and Iran, and the continued exchange of strikes between the two sides in recent days, raising increasing fears that the conflict could spread to include more countries and military installations in the Gulf region.
The governorates of Al-Kharj and Yanbu are of strategic importance; Al-Kharj contains military installations and bases, while Yanbu is one of the most important oil hubs in the Kingdom, as it represents the main outlet for exporting Saudi oil via the Red Sea through the East-West pipeline, which allows bypassing the Strait of Hormuz in case navigation is disrupted, which makes it a particularly sensitive target in times of regional crises and tensions.
