Saudi Arabia's air defense forces intercepted a drone that, according to the military coalition, was launched by Yemeni Houthis towards Mecca — the main holy city of Islam. According to coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki, the drone was destroyed south of the city. He called the incident a "shameful act" and stated that the target of the drone was Mecca. On Tuesday, city authorities declared an alert and urged residents to remain calm and follow the instructions of official services. According to al-Maliki, this is the first case of an alert being declared in Mecca since the latest escalation of the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Iranian-backed Houthis. The coalition spokesman also stated that this is the first attempt to attack Mecca since 2017, when, according to Saudi sources, the Houthis fired a ballistic missile at the city. The conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis continues amid the war in Yemen. Riyadh supports the internationally recognized government of the country and is part of a military coalition that strikes at the positions of the rebels. Following reports of the drone interception, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemned the attack, calling it "monstrous," and expressed support for Saudi Arabia. However, the version of events remains disputed. Houthi political bureau spokesman Hazem al-Asad rejected the Saudi claims and stated that there was no attempt to attack Mecca. According to him, the reports of an attack are false and have been used before. No independent confirmation of the statements from either side has been provided at this time. Thus, Saudi Arabia and the Houthis give opposing assessments of what happened, while tensions surrounding the conflict in Yemen continue to persist.
