US embassies issue security alerts over Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

US embassies across the Middle East have issued security alerts warning Americans to maintain "heightened vigilance" following attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia.

Embassies in Bahrain, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE said the "military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly" and that the security environment remained "complex."

The alerts also advised people to "be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions."

It comes after the Houthi rebels on Saturday said they had carried out two operations using ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones to target Saudi Arabia in response to Saudi attacks.

"The first targeted sensitive sites in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and the second targeted Aramco facilities in Yanbu," the group claimed.

A spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition forces - which were formed in 2015 to back Yemen's internationally recognised government - later confirmed that the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces had intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards Riyadh. The spokesperson added that the group had also targeted the cities of Baish, Taif, Farasan, and Yanbu.