Schools in Riyadh have told parents that classes will move online for the rest of the week, in an abrupt change that has not been explained by the Saudi authorities.
Several schools in the Saudi capital sent messages to parents on Saturday saying lessons would be held remotely from Sunday to Thursday. The National has seen at least three such messages from three different schools.
None gave a reason for the decision. There has been no official announcement of a formal measure covering schools across the city and the Ministry of Education has not commented publicly.
The shift comes at a tense time for the kingdom. The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said early on Saturday that its air defences had intercepted and destroyed two drones launched by the Houthis towards the Riyadh area.
Coalition spokesman Brig Gen Turki Al Malki said two ballistic missiles fired towards the south-western city of Khamis Mushait were also brought down.
Two days earlier, the coalition said it had intercepted six ballistic missiles aimed at Taif and the Red Sea port area of Yanbu. The Iran-backed rebels have stepped up their near-daily attacks on Saudi Arabia since July, when they declared a naval blockade on the kingdom.
Hours before Saturday's interceptions, the military chiefs of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey met in Riyadh to discuss threats facing the kingdom. The three countries signed a joint defence pact last month under which an attack on one is treated as an attack on all.
Riyadh is also entering a busy week of events, with traffic expected to be particularly heavy.
Saudi Arabia has used its Madrasati online platform to move classes out of school buildings before, most recently for a day in Riyadh and the Eastern Province in December.
