Saudi air defenses reportedly shot down a Houthi drone headed towards Mecca, the Saudi-led coalition said early Wednesday, while the Houthis denied responsibility for targeting the holy city.
According to coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, the drone was intercepted around 6:50 pm local time on Tuesday, with its wreckage falling south of the city.
The Saudi coalition vowed retaliation, warning that the security of holy sites was a “red line.” “The security of the Two Holy Mosques and the pilgrims is a red line, and the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition will not hesitate to take the necessary and deterrent measures against the terrorist Houthi militia,” the coalition said in a statement shared by spokesman Turki al-Maliki on X.
Yemen categorically denied involvement, with the Conference of Yemeni Scholars issuing a statement Thursday dismissing the allegation as “pure fabrication” by a “regime known for lies and fabrications.” They went on to accuse Saudi Arabia of exploiting the Two Holy Mosques for “colonial objectives aimed at dividing the Islamic world and controlling the wealth of Muslims.”
“Our operations target its oil facilities and military bases, which are far removed from the sacred sites,” said Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree on social media, adding that “fabrications and lies propagated by the criminal al-Saud regime cannot deceive anyone.”
This isn’t the first time Saudi Arabia has accused Yemen of targeting Mecca, the first being in July of 2017. Yemeni and Houthi officials maintain that such accusations are designed to tarnish their reputation and are a desperate attempt to rally the Muslim world against them.
The incident came a day after Saudi Arabia claimed 13 people were wounded by Houthi missile and drone attacks in the kingdom’s south, with seven vehicles and two homes reportedly damaged. The Houthis have intensified attacks on Saudi Arabia following their rapid advances along Yemen’s western coastline.
Armed conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has seen escalation since July. This includes the Houthi maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, as well as strikes against Saudi commercial vessels and energy/oil facilities. The Houthis have seized positions along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and strategic territory around the Bab Al-Mandeb strait, one of the world’s key maritime chokepoints.
This has raised alarm over threats to Saudi shipping and oil exports, given that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted. The kingdom was recently forced to close its 746-mile East-West oil pipeline, which had become crucial due to the sharp drop in shipping in the Strait.
