Saudi Arabia says it destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered restricted airspace, while the group denies targeting Islam’s holiest city, reports Asian Lite News Desk
Saudi Arabia says its air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it could enter the holy city’s restricted airspace, in a fresh escalation in attacks by the Yemen-based group.
The drone was intercepted at around 6.50pm local time on Tuesday, according to Major General Turki Al-Malki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition operating in Yemen. The wreckage fell south of Mecca, Saudi authorities said.
Al-Malki described the incident as the second attempt by the Houthis to target Mecca, following a ballistic missile launch in 2017. He said the security of Islam’s two holiest sites and pilgrims was a “red line” and warned that the coalition would take measures to deter further attacks.
The Houthis have denied targeting Mecca or any other Islamic holy site. A Houthi military source described the Saudi account as misinformation and said the group did not pose a threat to the holy city.
Saudi Arabia also issued a security alert in Mecca on Tuesday, which was lifted shortly afterwards. Similar alerts were reported in Taif and Jeddah amid a wider wave of Houthi attacks.
The latest incident follows attacks that Saudi authorities say injured 13 civilians in Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif. The renewed fighting comes after a period of relative calm following a UN-brokered truce in 2022.
Mecca is home to the Kaaba and the Grand Mosque and attracts millions of Muslims for Hajj and Umrah each year. The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation condemned what it described as an attack on Mecca and expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia.
