Riyadh’s iconic Kingdom Center skyscraper ordered remote working for office tenants on Sunday as disruptions spread from Houthi attacks and the Saudi-led coalition announced its first military deaths since the resumption of war.
The 99-story tower, one of the tallest buildings in Saudi Arabia, announced “mandatory” remote working until further notice. This decision was not motivated, but it follows a new security alert and two drone interceptions around the capital.
Schools in and around the capital have extended online learning for a second week, while Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport remains closed after 13 people were killed in a major attack last week.
The war that the Saudi coalition has waged for more than a decade against the Iran-backed Houthis has resumed with ferocity in the U.S.-Iran war, with regular attacks reported by both sides.
The Egyptian Parliament postponed a vote on Sunday on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s request to authorize military support for Saudi Arabia, two MPs told AFP, extending the deliberations until Monday.
And Iran’s new Defense Minister, Mehrdad Akhlaghi, threatened to inflict “enormous damage” on the United States and its allies if Washington resumed its military campaign.
– ‘Until further notice’ –
Tenants at the Kingdom Centre, which dominates central Riyadh, include financial services giant Merril Lynch, management consultancy McKinsey and the International Monetary Fund.
“Please note that remote working arrangements are mandatory for all Kingdom Center office employees, effective immediately and until further notice,” building management said in an email seen by AFP.
“Please refrain from going to offices during this period,” he adds. The shopping center at the foot of the building remains open.
The coalition announced the death of two helicopter pilots in Najran, near the border with Yemen, blaming a “technical malfunction”, after Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group “shot down an Apache helicopter belonging to the Saudi enemy” in the same area.
After an uneasy four-year truce, Yemen’s conflict reignited and intensified when the group seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month.
The Houthis have struck Saudi targets, including tankers in the Red Sea, oil installations and Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition supporting the internationally recognized government has launched repeated air raids on Houthi territory.
– Security alerts –
The coalition said overnight it had intercepted two drones in the Riyadh region and a third over the oil-rich eastern province. Saudi authorities had previously issued a threat alert in the capital.
The coalition also said two ballistic missiles had been intercepted in the south of the kingdom. Threat alerts for the city of Najran and As Sulayyil governorate in Riyadh province were issued but quickly canceled on Sunday.
The Houthis declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and captured territory around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a chokepoint of the Red Sea and a vital export route for Saudi oil since Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.
The Houthis have severely disrupted the Red Sea, a key route linking Asia to Europe via Egypt’s Suez Canal, by attacking shipping during Israel’s war with Hamas.
Egypt’s parliament held an emergency session on Sunday after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi asked lawmakers to authorize support for Saudi Arabia’s defense against Houthi attacks.
The session was extended until Monday “to give all legislators the opportunity to speak and express their views,” one of them told AFP.
Sissi declared himself ready to “take any measures to protect” Saudi Arabia if its leaders requested it.
“I’m not talking about fighting or attacking anyone,” he said Saturday. “We’re just talking about defense.”
bur/th/ris
Gn bussni
