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Saudi Arabia says it shot down Houthi drone south of Mecca
Confirmed
In Short: Saudi Arabia has intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone near Mecca, according to the Saudi-led coalition. The drone was launched towards the holy city, prompting a security alert for the first time since 2017.
Turki al-Maliki, the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, stated that the Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces intercepted the drone before it entered restricted airspace on Tuesday evening. The coalition has vowed to respond firmly to any Houthi strikes on urban areas.
The alert for Mecca was swiftly lifted after a few minutes, but similar alerts were issued for Taif and Jeddah. The escalation in hostilities comes after a UN-brokered truce in April 2022, which largely halted Houthi attacks on Saudi territory. The Houthis have since declared a blockade on Saudi shipping and gained control of critical nodes on the Bab al-Mandeb coastline.
The conflict, which dates back to 2015, has seen Saudi Arabia intervene in Yemen after the Houthis seized Sanaa and ousted the internationally recognised government. The latest attacks mark a sharp resurgence in the conflict, with the Houthis launching missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia in retaliation for more than 450 Saudi air strikes on their territory over the past week.
What's confirmed
- Turki al-Maliki, the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, stated that the Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces intercepted the drone before it entered restricted airspace on Tuesday evening. The coalition has vowed to respond firmly to any Houthi strikes on urban areas.
- The alert for Mecca was swiftly lifted after a few minutes, but similar alerts were issued for Taif and Jeddah. The escalation in hostilities comes after a UN-brokered truce in April 2022, which largely halted Houthi attacks on Saudi territory. The Houthis have since declared a blockade on Saudi shipping and gained control of critical nodes on the Bab al-Mandeb coastline.
- The conflict, which dates back to 2015, has seen Saudi Arabia intervene in Yemen after the Houthis seized Sanaa and ousted the internationally recognised government. The latest attacks mark a sharp resurgence in the conflict, with the Houthis launching missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia in retaliation for more than 450 Saudi air strikes on their territory over the past week.
What's still developing
- Saudi Arabia issued a security alert on Tuesday in the holy city of Mecca for the first time since the Houthis last attempted to target the sacred area in 2017.
- “We categorically deny that there is any threat from Yemen directed at the city of Mecca or any other holy sites,” the source said, condemning what he described as “misinformation”.
- In early September, the Iran-aligned group launched missiles and drones at sites across Saudi Arabia, marking a drastic escalation in the fighting.
- The Houthis have previously denied targeting Mecca, saying that they do not target holy sites.
- In a statement to Yemen’s SABA news agency on Tuesday, a Houthi military source strongly rejected the claim that Houthi forces pose a threat to the city of Mecca or other Islamic holy sites.
- The Houthis denied they had targeted Mecca, where Islam's most sacred shrine is located Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of the Islamic holy city of Mecca on Tuesday evening, according to the spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
- Turki al-Maliki said the targeting of Mecca, which is the home of Islam's most sacred shrine and the focal point of the Hajj pilgrimage, was a "disgraceful act".
- The 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation said attacks on Mecca and Medina province, where Islam's second holiest shrine is located, constituted an "unacceptable and intolerable transgression".