Saudi Warns Houthis After Alleged Attack Near Mecca
Saudi Arabia has accused Yemen’s Houthi rebels of targeting Mecca, warning that any threat to the holy city or Muslim pilgrims would cross a “red line.” The Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed a drone allegedly heading towards Mecca, a claim the Houthis rejected as a “lie.” Houthi political bureau member Hazem al-Assad dismissed the allegation, saying similar claims had been made before. The accusation comes amid renewed fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government, with the conflict increasingly affecting Saudi Arabia and shipping routes in the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia had issued alerts over possible attacks in Mecca and parts of the country’s south, while residents in Mecca described moments of fear during the alerts but said normal life had continued. The Saudi-led coalition has vowed to take what it described as necessary and deterrent measures to protect the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, representing 57 Muslim-majority countries, also condemned what it described as attacks targeting Mecca and the wider Madinah region.
The latest escalation comes as fighting in Yemen intensifies, following a major Houthi offensive against government forces. The United Nations says about 82,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of September as the conflict worsens. Yemen’s government has called on the international community to take action against the Houthis, while Saudi Arabia and Egypt have urged the protection of maritime navigation through the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Strait of Hormuz. The Bab al-Mandab is a key shipping route linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, while disruption could also affect Egypt’s Suez Canal revenues. Qatar has warned that closure of the waterway could have consequences that would be “catastrophic for the entire world.” The Houthis have maintained that they do not threaten navigation except for Saudi vessels, while Saudi retaliatory strikes have so far failed to reverse recent Houthi gains, according to reports. A US military task force is also providing intelligence-sharing and planning assistance to Saudi forces as tensions continue to escalate.
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