Saudi Arabia says its air defences intercepted and destroyed a drone launched towards Mecca by Yemen’s Houthi movement, before it entered the holy city’s restricted airspace.
Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said the Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces brought down the hostile drone on Tuesday evening. The incident prompted a security alert in Mecca, which was lifted within minutes.
Alerts were also activated in Taif and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s second-largest city. It was the first time such an alert had been issued in Mecca since the Houthis last attempted to target the sacred area in 2017.
Al-Maliki condemned the alleged attack as an attempt to frighten worshippers and harm civilians. He said the security of the two holy mosques and pilgrims was a “red line”.
The Houthis have denied targeting Mecca or posing a threat to Islamic holy sites. A Houthi military source told Yemen’s SABA news agency: “We categorically deny that there is any threat from Yemen directed at the city of Mecca or any other holy sites,” describing the Saudi claim as “misinformation”.
Security alert in Mecca follows wider escalation
The reported interception comes amid a sharp resurgence in the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, which dates back to 2015, when Riyadh intervened in Yemen after the group seized Sanaa and ousted the internationally recognised government.
A UN-brokered truce in April 2022 largely halted Houthi attacks on Saudi territory, but hostilities have intensified again since the group declared a blockade on Saudi shipping in July and gained control of critical nodes along the country’s Bab al-Mandeb coastline.
The Iran-aligned group launched missiles and drones at locations across Saudi Arabia in early September. Riyadh has accused the Houthis of targeting civilian and economic sites.
The Saudi-led coalition said it would respond “firmly” to Houthi strikes on urban areas that injured 13 people in Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif on Tuesday.
Mecca is home to the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site, towards which around two billion Muslims face during daily prayers. The city receives millions of pilgrims each year for Hajj and Umrah, and it welcomed around 1.7 million Muslims during this year’s Hajj season in late May.
It remains unclear whether the latest attacks on Saudi Arabia will affect pilgrimages to Mecca.
