Saudis intercepted Houthi drone on the way to Mecca

Saudi Arabia announced that the Royal Air Defense Forces of the country intercepted and destroyed a drone that the Houthis had launched towards Mecca on the evening of Tuesday. This action was taken amid serious security threats against Mecca, especially on the eve of the pilgrimage seasons.

Saudi response to Houthi threats

Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi coalition, strongly condemned this attack, stating that this action was intended to intimidate pilgrims and harm civilians. He also emphasized that the security of the two holy mosques and their pilgrims is a red line that should not be violated.

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For the first time since 2017, Saudi Arabia issued a security warning in Mecca. This warning was quickly lifted after a few minutes and was also activated for the cities of Taif and Jeddah, the second largest city in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, the Houthis have claimed that they never attack sacred places and consider these accusations baseless.

Rising tensions in Yemen

The recent attacks are seen as a serious resurgence of the conflicts that began in 2015. At that time, Saudi Arabia intervened to restore the legitimate government of Yemen to power. In 2022, a UN-monitored ceasefire largely ended Houthi attacks on Saudi territory, but since then, tensions have escalated again with the announcement of a blockade on Saudi ships.

In early September, the Houthi group fired missiles and drones at various locations in Saudi Arabia, indicating an escalation of hostilities. Riyadh has accused the Houthis of attacking civilian and economic infrastructure in the country.

Mecca, home to the Kaaba, the holiest site in Islam, is currently hosting about 1.7 million Muslims for the Hajj rituals at the end of May and typically sees millions of pilgrims traveling to the city for Umrah. Given the current situation, it is unclear whether these attacks will affect the travel of pilgrims to Mecca.

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