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Saudi Arabia says Houthis target Mecca, warns of 'red line'
Saudi Arabia says Houthis target Mecca, warns of 'red line'
Richard Connor | Mahima Kapoor with AP, AFP and ReutersPublished 09/16/2026Published September 16, 2026last updated 09/16/2026last updated September 16, 2026The Saudi-led coalition said its air defenses had destroyed a Houthi-deployed drone just outside Mecca, Islam's holiest city.
https://p.dw.com/p/5MffvSaudi Arabia said on Wednesday that its air defenses had intercepted and destroyed a drone allegedly launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis before it entered restricted airspace over Islam's holiest city Mecca.
The Houthis denied targeting the city, which is the destination of the annual Muslim hajj pilgrimage.
The claim was announced by the Joint Forces Command of what is still called the Saudi-led coalition. The multinational alliance formed in 2015 has largely fragmented, leaving current operations dominated by Saudi Arabia and Saudi-backed Yemeni forces.
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said the security of Mecca and its pilgrims was a "red line" and warned that the command would take "necessary and deterrent measures."
According to the statement, the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone "launched by the Terrorist Houthi Militia."
Saudi Arabia had issued brief alerts on Tuesday over possible attacks in Mecca and in the kingdom's southern region which borders Yemen.
How did the Houthis respond?
The Houthis were quick to reject the coalition's claims as a "lie."
"The claims about targeting Mecca are a worn-out lie that has been used before and no longer fools anyone," Hazem al-Assad, a high-ranking member from the Houthi movement, wrote on X.
Pakistan's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, condemned "in the strongest possible terms the dastardly and heinous attack on Mecca."
"The people of Pakistan are saddened and perturbed by this outrageous act," he wrote on X.
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Meanwhile, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a bloc of 57 Muslim nations, also condemned the "henious" attack.
The OIC General Secretariat "stresses that the violation of the sanctity of the holy sites is an unacceptable and intolerable transgression that requires deterring the perpetrators and blocking the path of anyone who dares to infringe upon these sites," it said in a statement.
Why are Saudi forces in conflict with the Houthis?
Saudi Arabia is being increasingly affected by the rapidly escalating conflict across its southern border in Yemen, where the Iran-backed Houthis are fighting Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces.
Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia injured 13 people on Monday night, bringing the total number of people injured since the conflict escalated in July to about 100.
In July, the Houthis also blocked Saudi oil shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, that had been serving as an alternative route for Saudi oil exports amid Iran's blockade of the nearby Strait of Hormuz.
Houthi attacks in Yemen open dangerous new Middle East front
With the kingdom under attack, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday reached out to Egypt for support against Yemen's Houthi rebels. The leaders called for "ensuring the freedom and security of maritime navigation" through Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab — which links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
The growing escalation has opened up another front in the Middle East, which is already grappling with the US war on Iran.
Amid the latest development, the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday issued an advisory asking its citizens to "reconsider travel" to the kingdom.
It warned of the "risk of Iranian drone and missile targeting American interests, armed conflict, terrorism, exit bans and local laws regarding social media activity."
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Edited by: Natalie Muller
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