Al Jazara
روایت خاورمیانه 
Saudi Arabia announced that a drone launched by the Houthis towards Mecca was shot down on Tuesday afternoon. This comes as the country issued a security alert in Mecca for the first time since 2017 following the incident.
Shooting down the drone and reactions
Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, stated that the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces shot down the drone before it entered restricted airspace. Al-Maliki described the incident as an attempt to scare pilgrims and harm civilians, emphasizing that the security of the two holy mosques and pilgrims is a "red line."
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Houthi claims and security concerns
The Houthis had previously claimed that they had no intention to attack Mecca and stated in a press release to the Saba news agency that they reject any threats from Yemen towards Mecca and other holy sites, describing it as "false information."
Following this incident, Saudi Arabia issued a security alert in Mecca, which was quickly canceled after a few minutes. This alert was also issued for two other Saudi cities, Taif and Jeddah. This was the first time in nearly a decade that such an alert was activated in Mecca.
History of conflict and rising tensions
These new attacks are a sign of escalating conflicts in Yemen, which began in 2015 when Saudi Arabia intervened to support the legitimate Yemeni government against the Houthis, who had seized Sana'a. A UN-mediated ceasefire in April 2022 had largely halted Houthi attacks on Saudi territory, but tensions escalated again after the announcement of a blockade on Saudi maritime imports in July.
Given that Mecca is home to the Kaaba and the holiest site in Islam, such incidents could have serious implications for the conduct of Hajj and Umrah rituals. This year, about 1.7 million Muslims traveled to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj season, and in this concerning security situation, it remains to be seen whether these attacks will affect the travel of pilgrims.
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