Riyadh’s iconic Kingdom Centre skyscraper ordered office tenants to work remotely Sunday following repeated Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, as the Saudi-led coalition said two pilots were killed in a crash near the Yemen border.
The 99-story building mandated remote working until further notice. Management gave no reason for the order, but it followed a major Houthi attack on Riyadh's international airport a week earlier that killed 13 people.
The Saudi-led coalition's more than decadelong war with the Iran-backed Houthis has reignited, with both sides reporting regular attacks.
Tenants of the Kingdom Centre, which towers over central Riyadh, include financial services giant Merrill Lynch, management consultancy McKinsey and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
"Please be advised that remote working arrangements are mandatory for all office employees at Kingdom Centre, effective immediately and until further notice," the building's management said in an email.
"Kindly refrain from attending the offices during this period," it added. The mall at the building's foot remains open.
The order comes as schools recently extended remote learning and Riyadh's international airport remains closed following last week's attack.
The order came after the coalition announced the deaths of two helicopter pilots in Najran near the Yemen border, blaming a "technical malfunction." This contradicted Houthi claims that they shot down an Apache helicopter in the area.
"An AH-6i reconnaissance helicopter belonging to the Ministry of National Guard crashed inside Saudi territory in Najran region due to a technical malfunction," coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki said, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
"The accident resulted in the martyrdom of its aircrew, consisting of two officers."
Late Saturday, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had "downed an Apache helicopter belonging to the Saudi enemy" in the same area.
After an uneasy, four-year truce, Yemen's conflict has surged back to life and intensified. The Houthis seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month.
The Houthis have hit Saudi targets including tankers in the Red Sea, oil facilities and Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport.
The Saudi-led coalition backing the internationally recognized government has launched repeated air raids on Houthi territory.
The coalition said overnight it intercepted two drones in the Riyadh area and a third over the Eastern province. Saudi authorities had earlier issued a threat alert in the capital.
The coalition also said it intercepted two ballistic missiles in the kingdom's south.
On Saturday, the Houthis reported that Saudi strikes killed 12 people in Yemen, including three children.
The Houthis have declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and captured territory around the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a Red Sea choke point and vital export route for Saudi oil.
The Red Sea is a key shipping route, connecting Asia with Europe via Egypt's Suez Canal.
On Sunday, Egypt's parliament will hold an emergency session after President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi asked lawmakers to authorize support to defend Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks.
El-Sissi said he was willing to "carry out any measure to protect" Saudi Arabia if its leaders requested it.
"I'm not talking about fighting anyone or attacking anyone," he said Saturday. "We are speaking only about defense."
