Saudi Arabia said its air defences intercepted and destroyed a drone south of Mecca before it could enter the holy city’s prohibited airspace, escalating tensions with Yemen’s Houthis amid a renewed wave
of attacks on the kingdom.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said the drone was heading towards Mecca, Islam’s holiest city. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned what it described as a “heinous” attack.
The Houthis, however, rejected the Saudi account. According to AFP, Houthi official Hazem al-Assad described the report that a drone had been heading towards Mecca as “a worn-out lie”.
First-ever air threat alert in Mecca
The incident came after Saudi Civil Defence issued alerts on Tuesday across several cities on the country’s western coast, including Mecca, Jeddah and Taif. The alerts were lifted shortly afterwards.
The aerial threat warning was issued in Mecca for the first time, according to reports, after the kingdom faced repeated attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis in recent days.
The Directorate of Saudi Civil Defence later said in a post on X: “Alert: The danger has passed in Mecca City. For your safety, continue following #CivilDefense instructions and avoid gathering and filming. In case of emergency, call (911).”
Saudi Civil Defence had earlier issued short-lived air-raid alerts in six regions.
According to a report by Israeli newspaper Hayom, air traffic bound for Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Medina was also halted.
The report said the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised Yemeni government and Saudi forces had earlier struck targets near Taiz in Yemen.
The alerts came a day after the Houthis wounded 13 people in Saudi Arabia in an attack involving ballistic missiles and drones launched from Yemen.
‘Worn-out lie’, say Houthis
Houthi official Hazem al-Assad rejected the Saudi-led coalition’s claim that the drone was heading towards Mecca. “The claims about targeting Mecca are a worn-out lie that has been used before and no longer fools anyone,” al-Assad, a member of the group’s politburo, wrote on X.
The coalition, meanwhile, has described the incident as the second attempt to target Mecca. Saudi officials have previously linked an earlier missile launch to an attempted attack on the holy city.
The OIC condemned what it called a “heinous” attack on Islam’s holy city and backed Saudi Arabia amid the escalation.
Saudi-Houthi conflict intensifies
The latest incident comes amid some of the heaviest fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces in years. The Houthis carried out their heaviest missile and drone attack in years against Saudi Arabia this week, setting oil sites ablaze and wounding 73 people.
On Monday, a Houthi strike in western Yemen killed eight government soldiers, according to two military sources. The group also claimed a large-scale attack using “dozens of ballistic missiles and drones” against King Khalid airbase in Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia.
Fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces flared again in July after the group declared a maritime blockade against Riyadh and began targeting ships in the Red Sea.
Al-Assad said, “The Yemeni response will continue and escalate as long as they (Saudi Arabia) persist in their aggression against our people.”
Bab al-Mandab raises wider concerns
The escalation has also raised concerns over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key Red Sea shipping route.
On Tuesday, Qatar warned of dire consequences if the strait was closed. Foreign ministry official Ibrahim Al Hashmi said shutting it would be “catastrophic for the entire world”.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump rejected a request from the Saudi crown prince to intervene in the war. Trump claimed the Houthis had called Washington on Saturday and asked the US not to get involved.
The rapid advances of the Iran-backed Houthis along Yemen’s Red Sea coast have now forced Saudi Arabia’s leadership to assess its options as the conflict widens.
