The Japan Times - Riyadh kindergarten hit by interception debris as Houthis say targeted airport

Saudi Arabia leads a pro-government coalition fighting against the Houthis in Yemen's civil war, and the Iran-backed group has repeatedly targeted Riyadh since the conflict roared back to life, vowing to hit critical infrastructure and disrupt Saudi airspace.

The conflict in Yemen had lain dormant since 2022 but erupted again in July, and the scale and frequency of the attacks on the Saudi capital since then have been unprecedented in the eight months of wider war in the Middle East.

Riyadh's airport has been repeatedly targeted by the Houthis in recent days as the group ramps up its attacks on the kingdom, including its oil facilities and cities close to the Yemeni border.

On Thursday the group warned workers to evacuate Saudi Arabia's oil facilities, having days before hit a major refinery south of the capital.

Around the same time, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said it had intercepted two missiles fired towards Riyadh.

Shortly after, the kingdom's civil defence agency said "interception debris" had damaged a kindergarten and a medical complex in the city. It did not say if there were any casualties or provide details of the damage.

Admissions by Saudi authorities of civilian targets being hit are relatively rare, with officials issuing few statements on Houthi attacks in recent weeks.

- Shelter in place -

After resuming their fight against Yemen's internationally recognised government, the Houthis last month seized all of the country's Red Sea coast in a lightning offensive.

The group, whose heartlands are among the Zaidi Shia Muslims in the northwest, had already controlled the capital Sanaa and most of Yemen's major population centres since the start of the war in 2014. Riyadh's military coalition intervened to support the government the following year.

Saudi Arabia and Yemeni government forces have struggled to roll back the Houthis' latest advance, despite an ambitious counter-offensive aimed at recapturing territory, including the area around a crucial waterway for global energy flows.

In Riyadh, home to a large number of non-Saudis, diplomats were instructed to shelter in place in their respective embassies, diplomats told AFP, after explosions echoed around the city on Thursday morning.

There were no text alerts warning residents, as there have been during earlier periods of the conflict.

A campaign by the interior ministry has repeatedly warned residents against sharing unauthorised information, images or footage of missiles, drones and their impacts, warning that violators could face legal consequences.

Several residents told AFP, meanwhile, that international schools were taking precautions, with at least one facility sending children into a basement for safety.

"My daughter called me," one parent told AFP on condition of anonymity, saying she was "completely distraught".

Two people working in Riyadh's business hub, the King Abdullah Financial District, told AFP that some companies were evacuating staff from the area.

Numerous flights at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport were delayed or cancelled, according to information posted on signage at the facility.

The airport was yet to acknowledge any disruption, pointing only in a short statement to the "necessity" of contacting airlines before travelling.

- 200,000 people displaced -

In Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries, ordinary civilians are paying the price for the renewed fighting, with more than 200,000 people displaced since July, according to UN data.

The humanitarian crisis caused by the war has left most of the nation's population dependent on aid.

After declaring their counter-offensive against the Houthis, Yemen's government claimed to have pushed the fighters out of strategic areas on the Red Sea coast and the port city of Mocha.

But the Houthis insist they are holding their territory, and military sources from both sides contacted by AFP have not reported any major changes on the ground.

Claims by the warring parties have been impossible to independently verify, with the situation moving fast and access for journalists difficult.

In Saudi Arabia, the latest blasts came a day after the Houthis claimed attacks on two international airports, while repeating a warning to airlines to avoid Saudi airspace.

The kingdom's civil aviation authority said an Egyptian and an Algerian national were killed at Abha airport, while a Sudanese national was killed at Riyadh airport.

In a subsequent statement, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen vowed that the Houthis would "not go unpunished" for the attacks.

K.Hashimoto--JT