SRINAGAR: Saudi Arabia issued an emergency warning in Riyadh on late Friday, urging residents to move to safe locations and stay away from windows and open areas before the alert was later lifted, according to Saudi authorities.
Alert: The danger has passed in Al-Kharj Governorate. For your safety, continue following #CivilDefense instructions and avoid gathering and filming. In case of emergency, call (911). pic.twitter.com/p6mHnsgsO6
— الدفاع المدني السعودي (@SaudiDCD) September 19, 2026
The National Early Warning Platform for Emergencies issued the warning in the capital, while Civil Defence provided residents with safety instructions. Authorities did not specify the nature of the danger that prompted the alert.
A subsequent Civil Defence notification said the danger in Riyadh had passed. Residents were nevertheless told to continue following official instructions, avoid gatherings and refrain from taking photographs, while those facing an emergency were advised to call 911.
The safety guidance accompanying the alerts instructed residents to remain calm and immediately move to the nearest safe location, including inside a building or an interior room away from windows. People were advised to remain sheltered until the danger had passed.
Residents were also told not to leave their homes or buildings while the warning remained in effect and to stay away from open spaces, windows, glass, balconies and rooftops. Those outdoors were advised to enter the nearest building or seek protection behind a solid barrier.
Drivers who received an emergency alert were instructed to pull over away from bridges and high-rise buildings. Authorities also advised people to avoid crowds and hazardous areas and not to take photographs.
The Riyadh alert followed warnings issued by Saudi Civil Defence in several other parts of the Kingdom on Friday night. Reuters reported alerts for Jeddah, Taif, Khamis Mushait and AlUla, after which authorities issued all-clear notifications.
The warnings came amid an escalation in attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis against Saudi Arabia. On Thursday, debris from a Houthi drone intercepted over Taif province killed one Yemeni resident and injured two others, according to Saudi Civil Defence. Saudi Arabia’s official news agency also reported the incident.
Saudi authorities have issued and subsequently lifted emergency warnings in several locations during the recent escalation. Earlier this week, alerts were issued in Jeddah, Abha, Jazan, AlUla, Taif and Yanbu before Civil Defence announced that the danger had passed.
