Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militants launched a drone toward the holy city of Mecca late Tuesday night. Saudi air defense forces successfully intercepted and destroyed the unmanned aircraft south of the city, preventing it from entering the restricted airspace over the Grand Mosque and the Kaaba.
- Saudi air defense forces intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca.
- The attack was aimed at the holy city and intended to terrorize worshippers.
- Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki called the attack a disgraceful act.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki described the attack as a
disgraceful act intended to terrorize worshippers, labeling the security of the Two Holy Mosques and millions of pilgrims a
red line. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation characterized the incident as an unacceptable and intolerable transgression. This marks the first security alert for Mecca since a Houthi ballistic missile was intercepted in 2017, with reports noting that alerts also briefly occurred in Jeddah and Taif. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied the allegations, calling them
fabrication and lies, and asserted that their operations are strictly limited to oil facilities and military bases. The Houthi group further claimed to have shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Yemeni territory using a locally manufactured missile, though Riyadh has not confirmed this loss.
This incident occurs amid escalating hostilities. The Houthis recently seized the Red Sea port of Mocha and Perim Island at the mouth of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, affecting oil export routes. The group has also targeted the King Khalid air base in Khamis Mushait and various southern cities with missiles and drones, causing civilian injuries. The Saudi-led coalition has responded with hundreds of airstrikes across Yemen. Additionally, a separate drone attack occurred last Friday, which Riyadh attributed to Iran-aligned groups in Iraq, resulting in the temporary closure of the East-West oil pipeline. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated that oil flow is expected to resume within days. Meanwhile, planned talks in Oman between Iran and Gulf states regarding the Strait of Hormuz have been postponed at the request of Saudi Arabia, with Bahrain declining to participate. Saudi Arabia has vowed to take
necessary and deterrent measures in response to the regional volatility, which continues to impact the Gulf, the Red Sea, and global energy markets.
