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EU Advises Caution in Saudi Airspace After Houthi Attacks
Confirmed
In Short: The EU aviation agency issued an advisory after Houthi rebels launched attacks on Saudi Arabia, including a drone near Mecca.
The European Union's aviation agency issued an advisory on Tuesday after Houthi rebels launched attacks on Saudi Arabia, including a drone near the holy city of Mecca.
According to the Saudi-led coalition, air defenses intercepted and destroyed a drone south of Mecca before it could enter the restricted airspace over the city.
The Saudi-led coalition warned that the security of Islam's two holiest sites is a 'red line' and vowed to take necessary deterrent measures against the Houthi movement.
Houthi officials denied targeting Mecca, stating that they do not target holy sites.
The conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi rebels intensified on Wednesday after the Houthis claimed to have shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Marib province in Yemen.
The Saudi-led coalition said it would respond firmly to Houthi strikes on urban areas that injured 13 people in the Saudi cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Taif.
The latest attacks mark a sharp resurgence in a conflict dating to 2015, when Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen after the Houthis seized Sanaa and ousted the internationally recognized government.
A UN-brokered truce in April 2022 largely halted Houthi attacks on Saudi territory, but hostilities have escalated again since the group declared a blockade on Saudi shipping in July and gained control of critical nodes on the country’s Bab al-Mandeb coastline.
The Saudi-led coalition spokesperson, Major General Turki Al-Malki, described the incident as a 'hostile and terrorist act' and said the drone had been launched by what he called the 'Terrorist Houthi Militia'.
What this adds
The conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi rebels forms part of Yemen's wider civil war and is also linked to the broader regional power struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The latest developments come amid renewed fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces.
The Houthi claim of shooting down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet has not been independently verified.
Background
At the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned that any further Houthi attacks on the holy city of Makkah would be a “red line” for Islamabad.
Brent crude is on track for a weekly gain as attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure continue to rattle markets.
What's confirmed
- The claim came hours after Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted drones flying towards Mecca.
What's still developing
- 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.
- Houthi official Hazem al-Assad described the claim that the drone was heading towards Mecca as a “worn-out lie”, according to AFP.
- The alerts came a day after Houthi forces reportedly wounded 13 people in Saudi Arabia in an attack involving ballistic missiles and drones launched from Yemen.
- On Monday, a Houthi strike in western Yemen reportedly killed eight government soldiers, according to military sources.
- The latest developments come amid renewed fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces.
- "The Yemeni Armed Forces, with Allah's aid and grace, succeeded in shooting down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet while it was carrying out hostile operations in support of its military mobilisations in the airspace of Marib province," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on social media, while accusing Saudi Arabia of launching 450 strikes.
- The reported interception came amid a wider escalation involving Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iran-aligned groups across the region.
- The Houthi claim was made in a statement and has not been independently verified.
- ALSO READ | India Faces 100% US Tariff Risk As House Advances Russia Sanctions Bill The Saudi-Houthi conflict forms part of Yemen's wider civil war and is also linked to the broader regional power struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
- The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, control large parts of northern and western Yemen, including Sana'a.
Sources
- Reuterslink
- Al Jazeeralink
- Daijiworldlink
- Indiatvnewslink
- Newslink
- Bozemandailychroniclelink
- Arabnewslink
- The Indian Expresslink
- Azernewslink
- Millenniumpostlink
- Hindustan Timeslink
- Englishlink
- Tripolipostlink
- WarpBeat — background on Pakistan PM Draws Red Line Over Houthi Attacks on Makkah link
- WarpBeat — background on Brent Crude Set for Weekly Gain Amid Houthi Attacks link
- NewsX World — video link