Danger passes in Saudi Arabia’s Najran after brief warning

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense issued an early warning alert in the southern city of Najran on Thursday, later announcing that the danger had passed.

The Civil Defense said the alert was issued to warn residents of a potential danger, although it did not provide further details about the nature of the threat.

Earlier, Saudi air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi group toward the kingdom’s Eastern Province, the Saudi-led coalition said.

On Wednesday, the coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile fired toward the western Saudi city of Taif.

Late Tuesday, debris from two intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles damaged a building, a construction project and a vehicle in the capital Riyadh, according to Civil Defense. Its statement did not report any casualties.

The interceptions came amid escalating hostilities between the Houthi group and the Saudi-led coalition, which supports Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition against the Houthis since March 2015 after the group seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa and other parts of the country in 2014.