Riyadh's Kingdom Centre orders remote work as Saudi-Houthi fighting reignites

Management of the Kingdom Centre, a 99-storey skyscraper in central Riyadh, ordered mandatory remote working for office tenants on Sunday. The order is effective until further notice. Tenants include Merrill Lynch, McKinsey and the International Monetary Fund.

Management gave no reason for the order. It came about a week after a major Houthi attack on Riyadh's international airport in which 13 people were killed. Daily Sabah and the South China Morning Post (SCMP) published closely matching accounts. Neither outlet says who compiled the death toll.

In an email quoted by Daily Sabah, management wrote: "Please be advised that remote working arrangements are mandatory for all office employees at Kingdom Centre, effective immediately and until further notice." It added: "Kindly refrain from attending the offices during this period."

According to Daily Sabah, the mall at the base of the tower remains open. The outlet also reported that schools recently extended remote learning and that the airport remains closed.

Separately, the Saudi-led coalition said two pilots were killed in a crash near the Yemen border. The coalition's war of more than a decade with the Iran-backed Houthis has reignited. Both sides report regular attacks.

The wider conflict

According to Daily Sabah, the fighting follows an uneasy four-year truce. The outlet reported that the Houthis seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month. It said they have declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, have captured territory around the Bab el-Mandeb strait, and have hit tankers in the Red Sea, oil facilities and King Khalid International Airport. The coalition, which backs Yemen's internationally recognized government, has launched repeated air raids on Houthi-held territory, Daily Sabah reported. SCMP reported that the fighting is taking place during a US-Iran war.

Daily Sabah also reported that Egypt's parliament was scheduled to hold an emergency session on Sunday. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi had asked lawmakers to authorize support to defend Saudi Arabia.

What is disputed

The cause of the helicopter loss in Najran region, and the aircraft type, are disputed. According to the Saudi Press Agency, coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki said: "An AH-6i reconnaissance helicopter belonging to the Ministry of National Guard crashed inside Saudi territory in Najran region due to a technical malfunction." He said the crash killed its two-officer crew. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said late Saturday that the group had "downed an Apache helicopter belonging to the Saudi enemy" in the same area, Daily Sabah reported. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi include no independent verification of either account.

What each side says

• Saudi-led coalition: It intercepted two drones in the Riyadh area and a third over the Eastern Province overnight, plus two ballistic missiles in the south, according to Daily Sabah. Daily Sabah reported that Saudi authorities issued a threat alert in the capital beforehand.
• Houthis: Saudi strikes killed 12 people in Yemen on Saturday, including three children, according to Daily Sabah. This figure is not independently confirmed in the reports.
• Egypt's el-Sissi: He is willing to "carry out any measure to protect" Saudi Arabia if its leaders request it, Daily Sabah quoted him as saying. "I'm not talking about fighting anyone or attacking anyone," he said. "We are speaking only about defense."

The reports do not identify the two officers killed, describe the outcome of Egypt's parliamentary session, or say when the airport or the Kingdom Centre will reopen.

Analysis

The Kingdom Centre order shows how a regional conflict can reach daily commercial life in a major Gulf capital. Its link to the Houthi attacks is inferred from timing; management has given no stated reason. If other businesses take similar steps, wider economic disruption could follow, but the reports do not say whether any have. The helicopter dispute illustrates a common pattern in wartime: rival accounts that cannot yet be independently checked. Egypt's possible involvement, described by el-Sissi as defensive only, could widen the circle of states engaged. Whether that happens depends on decisions the reports do not yet describe.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.