Saudi Arabia claims that it shot down a Houthi drone near Makkah, Islam’s holiest city, on Tuesday. The incident has drawn instant regional condemnation of the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group. Houthis are being accused behind the attempted drone on Mecca.
The Saudi-led spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces intercepted a hostile drone before it entered the restricted airspace on Tuesday evening. Al-Maliki condemned the incident as an attempt to frighten worshippers and harm civilians, warning that the security of the two holy mosques and pilgrims is a red line.
The Houthis have previously denied targeting Mecca, saying they do not target holy sites. Saudi Arabia issued a security alert in Mecca for the first time since the Houthis last attempted to target the sacred area in 2017. The alert for the potential danger in Mecca was swiftly lifted after a few minutes. The same alert was also issued for Taif and Jeddah.
Read more: Saudi Arabia vows to respond ‘firmly’ to Houthi attacks
In a statement to Yemen’s Saba agency on Tuesday, a Houthi military source strongly rejected the accusations that the forces posed a threat to the city of Mecca or other Islamic holy sites. The latest attempted attack marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict. The last resurgence was noted during a conflict dating to 2015, when Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen after the Houthis seized Sanaa and ousted the internationally recognized government.
Houthis have called these accusations as fabrications and lies propagated by the alleged criminal Saudi regime. He reiterated that there is no threat whatsoever from Yemen to the holy sites. Houthis’ swiftly advancing in Yemen and attacking on neighboring Saudi Arabia in recent weeks have put the kingdom in an increasingly difficult position. Pakistan and other Muslim countries as well as the OIC, a 57-member body representing the 1.5 billion Muslims, condemned the incident, saying the strikes violated the sanctity of holy sites and mosques and instilled fear in innocent civilians.
Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif has called the attack a dastardly and heinous act. In response, Saudi forces launched strikes, airstrikes across Houthi-held areas of Yemen last Saturday and this Tuesday, according to the Houthis.
