4 minWorld
Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Centre Sends Workers Home as Houthi Attacks Escalate
Management at Riyadh's 99-story Kingdom Centre ordered office employees to work remotely until further notice after the Saudi-led coalition intercepted drones and ballistic missiles overnight. The directive affects tenants including Merrill Lynch, McKinsey and the IMF, as Egypt weighs military support for the kingdom.
Management at Riyadh's iconic Kingdom Centre ordered all office employees to work remotely until further notice, a directive that took effect immediately as Houthi missile and drone attacks disrupted the Saudi capital. The 99-story skyscraper, a landmark on Riyadh's skyline, houses major international financial institutions including Merrill Lynch, consulting giant McKinsey & Company and the International Monetary Fund.
«Please be advised that remote working arrangements are mandatory for all office employees at Kingdom Centre, effective immediately and until further notice,» building management said in an email. Employees were instructed not to report to their offices. The shopping mall at the base of the tower remained open to the public. Management did not specify a reason for the order, but it followed a series of security incidents in and around Riyadh.
The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted two drones in the Riyadh area, a third over the Eastern Province and two ballistic missiles in southern Saudi Arabia overnight, after authorities had earlier issued a threat alert in the capital. The repeated attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have rattled the kingdom amid fears of a widening Middle East conflict.
The security concerns also follow a deadly Oct. 10 attack on King Khalid International Airport that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300 others. A strike the following day killed one person and injured 11. Airport operations have been severely disrupted, and schools in Riyadh have extended remote learning measures amid continued threats.
Saudi Arabia's military reported two deaths in a helicopter crash near its southern border with Yemen. Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, said an AH-6i reconnaissance helicopter crashed in the Najran region because of a technical malfunction, killing both crew members. Saudi civil defense authorities also reported that six people were injured when a hostile projectile struck a residential neighborhood in Najran, damaging three homes and three vehicles.
Meanwhile, Egypt moved toward potentially providing military assistance to Saudi Arabia as the kingdom confronts the growing Houthi threat. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi requested an emergency parliamentary session to authorize defensive military support for Saudi Arabia if requested by Riyadh. Lawmakers were expected to continue discussions Monday.
The Egyptian presidency said Cairo was prepared to provide Saudi Arabia with the necessary support to defend its security, stability, territorial integrity and Islamic holy sites. The statement followed a meeting of Egypt's National Defense Council chaired by el-Sissi and attended by senior government and military officials. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty also spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan about regional developments and the importance of de-escalation.
The potential involvement of Egypt, which has one of the Arab world's largest militaries, could significantly expand the regional response to the Houthis. The Iran-backed group now controls Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and much of the country's north. Fighting with the Saudi-led coalition, which supports Yemen's internationally recognized government, has intensified amid the broader U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.
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