Schools in Riyadh move to remote learning without warning amid renewed Saudi-Houthi tensions

Private schools in Riyadh moved to remote learning from Sunday through Thursday, October 1, without publicly explaining the decision, amid renewed Houthi threats against the Saudi capital.

Notices sent directly to parents said in-person classes would be suspended and replaced by remote learning. One notice distributed by Al-Rowad schools said classes would be held through the Classera platform from 16 to 20 Rabi' al-Thani 1448, corresponding to September 27 through October 1.

As of Sunday morning, the official website of the Riyadh education administration had not announced a blanket suspension of in-person classes at all schools in the city. It therefore remained unclear whether several private institutions had coordinated the move, had received instructions directly from authorities, or had made the decisions independently.

The academic calendar shows that the current week was scheduled to be a regular school week following the Saudi National Day holiday on September 23 and 24.

The notices have drawn particular attention amid an escalation in tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen. On Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition announced that air defense systems had intercepted and destroyed two drones launched by the Houthis toward the Riyadh area. Two ballistic missiles launched toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia were also intercepted.

Not first time Riyadh targeted by Houthis

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said the forces were "tracking and monitoring missile and unmanned aerial vehicle threats toward the kingdom."

This is not the first time Riyadh itself has been targeted during the current escalation. On September 19, the Houthis said they had launched ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones toward "sensitive targets" in the Saudi capital.

Saudi Arabia later announced that it had intercepted a ballistic missile fired toward Riyadh and accused the Houthis of attempting to target civilians and civilian sites in the city, which is home to more than eight million people.

No confirmation as to why change happened

The timing is particularly unusual because the threat to the capital renewed over the weekend. According to the Saudi-led coalition, the two drones headed toward the Riyadh area were intercepted before reaching their targets.

At the same time, civil defense authorities issued alerts in Khamis Mushait and Abha. No similar alert was reported in Riyadh, and there were no reports of casualties or damage resulting from the latest interceptions.

Saudi schools routinely shift to remote learning during emergencies, and similar decisions have been made in recent months because of severe weather conditions. In previous cases, however, Riyadh's education administration issued an official announcement explaining the reason for the move.

As of Sunday morning, no public explanation had been issued. Therefore, no official confirmation linked the switch to remote learning directly to the Houthi threat.