RIYADH: Schools across Riyadh will switch to remote learning for a week following a last-minute decision communicated to parents on Sunday, according to messages seen by AFP.
Several schools informed parents that Saudi authorities had directed them to keep schools closed throughout the week.
“We have just been informed by Saudi authorities that schools must remain closed all week,” two messages seen by AFP said.
No official reason was immediately provided for the decision. However, the move comes amid heightened tensions in the Gulf and a series of attacks targeting Saudi Arabia by Iran-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen.
The announcement came a day after the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said it had intercepted drones and ballistic missiles launched towards the kingdom.
The strikes are the latest in a series of escalating Houthi attacks since July, when renewed hostilities ended a years-long truce and drew Yemen further into the wider Middle East conflict.
The United Nations Security Council has condemned the escalating attacks on Saudi Arabia, noting that the strikes have wounded civilians, including women and children.