Saudi air defences intercept Houthi drone south of Mecca

Saudi Arabia’s air defence system shot down a Houthi drone south of the holy city of Mecca, Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the military coalition fighting the group in Yemen, said.

According to the coalition spokesperson, the security of Islam’s two holy sites and pilgrims was a “red line.” The coalition would take the necessary deterrent measures against the Houthis, he stressed, The Guardian reports.

Al-Maliki described the incident as the Houthis’ second reported attempt to strike Mecca, following what the coalition said was the launch of a ballistic missile toward the city in July 2017. Houthi representative Hazem al-Assad dismissed claims that Mecca was the target as a tired lie, which “has been used before and no longer fools anyone.”

Mecca, home to sites revered by Muslims around the world, is Islam’s holiest city and the centre of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

On September 15, US Vice President JD Vance said Washington had established contact with Ansar Allah, the Houthi movement that controls northern Yemen, amid the group’s activities in the Red Sea region. On September 13, Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the movement had carried out a strike on the Sharurah military base in southern Saudi Arabia. According to Saree, the targets included Saudi weapons depots as well as command-and-control centres.

By Jeyhun Aghazada