Saudi civil defence issues ‘potential danger’ alert for Makkah province and Jeddah without giving a reason, tells residents to move to safety
Photo: Collected
Dhaka, 24 October 2026 (BSS): Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency on Friday issued a ‘potential danger’ alert for Makkah province, where the holy city of Makkah is located, ordering residents to ‘move to the nearest safe place’. An alert was also issued for the city of Jeddah on the same day. However, no reason was given for the alert.
News agency AFP reported this from Riyadh.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels have repeatedly attacked the Gulf country in recent weeks as part of the renewed civil war in Yemen.
Background
According to a 3 October report by Africanews, supplied by AFP, Yemen returned to civil war in July after several years of calm. The fragile four-year truce broke down when Iran sent a plane carrying a Houthi delegation to Sanaa without seeking Saudi Arabia’s permission.
The same report said Riyadh then struck Sanaa airport; in response, the Houthis attacked Saudi territory for the first time since 2022, struck Saudi targets including oil facilities and Riyadh, and announced a naval blockade of Saudi ships in the Red Sea.
Sources
Background source: Africanews (AFP), 3 October 2026
