Overview
- Parents across Riyadh received emails on Sunday notifying them that in-person classes would switch to remote learning for a week, with several private schools telling families lessons would be held online from September 27 to October 1.
- The Saudi-led coalition said its air defences intercepted two drones headed for the Riyadh area and two ballistic missiles aimed at Khamis Mushait in separate actions that preceded the school notices.
- There has been no formal public explanation from the Ministry of Education or other Saudi authorities about the school decision, leaving unclear whether the move was a citywide order or a coordinated choice by private schools.
- Senior military chiefs from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey met in Riyadh hours before the latest interceptions, following a recent trilateral defence pact that frames an attack on one as a trigger for mutual response.
- The change follows a wider Houthi escalation since July that includes a declared naval blockade and repeated strikes on Saudi cities, energy sites and Red Sea shipping, a campaign that heightens risks to civilian life and regional trade.