Makkah under drone attack: Houthis break silence over Saudi charge

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group has denied Saudi Arabia's claim that it launched a drone targeting the holy city of Makkah, calling the allegation a fabrication.

Saudi air defences said they intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone south of Makkah on Tuesday (September 15) evening before it entered the city's prohibited airspace. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Malki said it was the second Houthi attempt on Makkah after a ballistic missile in July 2017, and that security of the Two Holy Mosques is a “red line”.

The Houthis rejected it. Politburo member Hazem al-Assad wrote on X, “The claims about targeting Mecca are a worn-out lie that has been used before”. Military spokesman Yahya Saree said their targets were Saudi oil facilities and military bases “far removed from the holy places”, while another official called it “an outright lie”.

The incident has drawn global condemnation. Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif condemned what Saudi Arabia described as an attempted attack, while the group has rejected the charge. India said it was “deeply concerned” as Makkah holds special significance for Muslims worldwide, and Bangladesh and Jordan also expressed solidarity with Riyadh.