Saudi Arabia issues rare air-raid alerts for Riyadh

• Saudi Arabia issued rare air-raid alerts in Riyadh and other regions due to increased attacks by Iran-backed Houthis targeting towns and energy infrastructure.
• A drone attack from Iraq forced the shutdown of the vital East-West pipeline, worsening global energy supply and pushing oil prices higher.
• The escalating conflict threatens Saudi Arabia's economic diversification plans and upcoming Future Investment Initiative conference in October.

RIYADH – Saudi Arabian authorities issued air-raid alerts for Riyadh early on Sept 19, the first in the capital since the height of the US-Iran war in March and April.

The kingdom’s early warning system issued emergency alerts at 4am local time and again at 6am local time for residents of the capital, without giving further details.

The Saudi civil defence said the danger had lifted soon after in both cases.

Other areas across Saudi Arabia received similar warnings overnight, including the Red Sea cities of Jeddah and Yanbu and Farasan Island in the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia has come under renewed attack in September, with the Houthis, an Iran-backed group based in Yemen, targeting western towns and energy infrastructure.

Last week, the Saudi government said a drone attack emanating from Iraq – which has several pro-Tehran militias – caused the vital East-West pipeline to be shut down.

Yemen’s Houthis have been carrying out almost daily strikes against Saudi Arabia in the last month, with one attack causing a death and several injuries in Taif on Sept 17.

The group has launched a push recently to exert further control on the Red Sea’s Bab al-Mandeb and made significant gains on Yemen’s western coast, taking over the port city of Mokha and a series of islands close to the strait.

The Iran-backed militia has also said it was imposing a blockade on Saudi ships in the Red Sea, and hit several ships in the waterway, which has served as a key oil export route for the kingdom since the war between the US and Iran brought traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to a near halt.

The closure of the pipeline bypassing Hormuz last week further squeezed an energy market grappling with supply shortage and pushed oil prices higher.

State-run Saudi Aramco is seeking to restore the pipeline to about half capacity within days and reach full capability in about six weeks, a person familiar with the matter has said, causing oil prices to pare some of their gains, although they remain around US$100 a barrel.

The latest development may also present a challenge for the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The pipeline attack and Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz have caused Saudi Arabia’s oil exports to plunge.

The fresh hostilities now threaten to hit the kingdom’s attempts to attract investment and tourists to diversify the economy.

In October, Riyadh is scheduled to host Saudi Arabia’s flagship investment conference, called the Future Investment Initiative.

The 2026 edition is set to feature many high-profile Wall Street executives, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. chief executive officer Jamie Dimon and David Solomon of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. BLOOMBERG