According to Saudi Arabia, a drone that the Houthis had launched in the direction of Mecca was intercepted and destroyed, potentially endangering the holy city. The hostile drone was captured by the Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces on Tuesday nite before it could reach the restricted airspace, according to Turki al-Maliki, the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition. Al-Maliki warned that the protection of the two sacred mosques and pilgrims is a “red line,” denouncing the incident as an attempt to terrify worshippers and hurt civilians.
In the past, the Houthis have denied attacking Mecca, claiming that they don’t target places of worship. For the first time since the Houthis last attempted to attack the holy site in 2017, Saudi Arabia issued a security alert in Mecca on Tuesday.
After a few minutes, the warning about possible danger in Mecca was quickly lifted. The second-largest city in Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, and Taif both received the same notice. A Houthi military source vehemently denied the assertion that Houthi forces endanger Mecca or other Islamic holy places in a statement to Yemen’s SABA news agency on Tuesday.
The source denounced what he called “misinformation” and declared, “We categorically deny that there is any threat from Yemen directed at the city of Mecca or any other holy sites. In a conflict that began in 2015 when Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen after the Houthis took control of Sanaa and overthrew the country’s internationally recognised government, the most recent attacks represent a dramatic comeback.
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