Riyadh landmark orders remote work as coalition reports fatal crash

Kingdom Centre in Riyadh ordered office employees to work remotely until further notice without explaining why, The Korea Times reported Sunday. Separately, the Saudi-led coalition said two officers died when a military helicopter crashed near Yemen.

The developments came amid renewed fighting between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis after an uneasy four-year truce, according to The Korea Times. The report described disruption in the Saudi capital and competing accounts of a helicopter incident near the border.

Management of the 99-story Kingdom Centre told office employees by email that remote work was mandatory immediately and that they should stay away from their offices, according to The Korea Times, citing an email seen by AFP. The building's mall remained open. Management did not link the order to the attacks.

Riyadh's international airport remained closed after an attack a week earlier killed 13 people, the newspaper reported. The coalition said it intercepted two drones near Riyadh, another over Eastern Province and two ballistic missiles in southern Saudi Arabia.

Coalition spokesman Turki Al-Malki said a Ministry of National Guard AH-6i reconnaissance helicopter crashed in Najran Region because of a technical malfunction, according to the Saudi Press Agency account cited by The Korea Times. He said both officers aboard died.

Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said late Saturday that the group had shot down an Apache helicopter in the same area. The newspaper did not reconcile that claim with the coalition's account, which identified a different aircraft and attributed the crash to a malfunction.

The Houthis said Saudi strikes in Yemen killed 12 people Saturday, including three children. The Korea Times also reported that the group had declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and seized territory around the Bab al-Mandab strait.

Egypt's parliament was scheduled to meet in an emergency session Sunday after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi sought authorization to support Saudi Arabia's defense, The Korea Times reported. Al-Sisi said Saturday that the proposed support was defensive, not intended to attack anyone.