Saudi Arabia air defenses intercepted a Houthi drone south of Mecca on Tuesday evening, preventing it from entering prohibited airspace over Islam’s holiest city. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki condemned the escalation as a red line for regional security, while Houthi officials denied targeting the city.
A security alert briefly activated in Mecca on Tuesday as a drone launched by the Houthis approached the city before being intercepted and destroyed by Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces. The incident marks the first time since the Houthis last attempted to target the sacred area that emergency warnings have sounded in Islam’s holiest center, evoking memories of a previous ballistic missile launch in 2017.
Coalition Warnings and the Security of Mecca
Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki stated that the drone was intercepted around 6.50 p.m. local time (1550GMT) on Tuesday before it entered restricted airspace, with its wreckage falling south of the city. According to reporting from the Saudi-led coalition, the incident followed a day after the coalition said 13 civilians were injured in missile and drone attacks by the Houthis on Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif. Saudi Arabia issued security alerts across Mecca and similar alerts were issued early Tuesday for the governorates, with the National Early Warning Platform for Emergencies issuing the alert according to the Saudi Civil Defense, without specifying the nature of the danger. The Civil Defense later said the danger had passed, calling on residents to continue avoiding gatherings and filming or taking photos. Al-Maliki described the incident as the Houthis’ second attempt to target Mecca, citing a ballistic missile launched toward the city in 2017. He said the security of the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims was a “red line,” vowing that the coalition would take necessary deterrent measures against the Houthis to deter further attacks.
Houthi Denials and Regional Escalation
Houthi leadership strongly rejected the coalition’s assertions. The Houthis swiftly rejected as a “lie” Riyadh’s report that it shot down a drone from the rebels heading towards the Saudi city of Mecca, which attracts millions of pilgrims each year. The Houthis have previously denied targeting Mecca, saying that they do not target holy sites. The aerial interception unfolded amid a broader resurgence in regional hostilities. Fresh fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government has dragged in Riyadh, with the Houthis declaring a maritime blockade on the kingdom and targeting its ships in the Red Sea. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched a large drone and missile attack on Saudi Arabia overnight, targeting the Jazan region and the Aramco refinery near King Abdullah Airport. The Houthis claim the attacks are retaliation for Saudi airstrikes across Yemen over the weekend. Yemen’s Houthis launched a major drone and missile attack on Saudi Arabia’s Jazan region, targeting an Aramco refinery, a bulk fuel plant and an area near King Abdullah Airport, stating the attack was retaliation for 121 Saudi airstrikes across Yemen over the past days. The attack was a major escalation in renewed fighting between an important U.S. ally and the Iranian proxy group, threatening to further destabilize a region rocked by nearly three years of wars.
Impact on Pilgrimage Infrastructure and Global Markets
Mecca, home to shrines sacred to Muslims worldwide, is Islam’s holiest city and the focal point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, which millions of Muslims undertake each year. Confrontations between Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Houthi movement have continued to intensify as attacks on Saudi Arabia accelerate amid the wider Middle East conflict, bringing the war directly to the borders of the kingdom’s sacred sites.
Ещё по этой теме
