Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone south of Mecca late Tuesday, according to coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki. Riyadh has declared the security of the Two Holy Mosques a red line, with al-Maliki characterizing the event as a disgraceful act aimed at harming civilians and intimidating worshippers. This marks the second such attempt against Mecca, following a 2017 ballistic missile incident.
- Saudi air defence intercepted a drone south of Mecca late Tuesday.
- Houthi spokesman denied the report while claiming to target oil facilities and military bases.
- UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Türkiye, Pakistan, and the OIC issued formal denunciations.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied the allegations, labeling the Saudi report as fabrications and claiming their operations exclusively target Saudi oil facilities and military bases. Furthermore, Saree asserted that Houthi forces downed a Saudi F-15 jet over Marib using a locally produced missile, a claim Riyadh has not confirmed.
In response, the United Arab Emirates condemned the act as a violation of Saudi sovereignty, with Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Türkiye, Pakistan, and the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) issuing formal denunciations. The incident follows recent Houthi advances along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, including the seizure of Mokha port and Perim Island. Ongoing Houthi drone and missile strikes have previously struck the Saudi cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha, Najran, and Jazan, resulting in dozens of civilian injuries and prompting retaliatory Saudi airstrikes in Yemen. The regional security environment remains tense following a separate drone attack last Friday on the East-West Pipeline, which Riyadh attributed to Iran-linked militias in Iraq. While Iran has not issued a detailed response regarding the Mecca incident, officials in Tehran maintain they do not target holy sites. Saudi authorities have lifted the emergency alert over Mecca, though coalition officials have vowed to implement necessary deterrent measures in response to the perceived threat.
