Saudi-led coalition intercepts drone aimed at Mecca

A security alert was issued in Mecca, Islam's holiest city, after Saudi Arabia reported that a drone launched by the Houthis was intercepted and destroyed. The Saudi-led coalition spokesperson, Turki al-Maliki, stated that Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces intercepted the drone before it entered restricted airspace on Tuesday evening. Al-Maliki condemned the incident as an attempt to frighten worshippers and harm civilians, emphasizing that the security of the two holy mosques and pilgrims is a "red line." The Houthis have previously denied targeting Mecca, asserting that they do not target holy sites. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia issued a security alert in Mecca for the first time since the Houthis last attempted to target the area in 2017. The alert was quickly lifted after a few minutes, and similar alerts were activated for Taif and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s second-largest city. A Houthi military source, in a statement to Yemen’s SABA news agency, rejected claims that Houthi forces pose a threat to Mecca or other Islamic holy sites, calling it "misinformation." The recent attacks signify a resurgence in the conflict that began in 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 had largely halted Houthi attacks on Saudi territory, but hostilities have escalated since the group declared a blockade on Saudi shipping in July and gained control of critical areas along the Bab al-Mandeb coastline. In early September, the Iran-aligned group launched missiles and drones at various sites across Saudi Arabia, marking a significant escalation in the conflict. Riyadh has accused the Houthi rebels of targeting civilian and economic sites in the kingdom. The Saudi-led coalition stated it will respond "firmly" to Houthi strikes on urban areas, which injured 13 people in Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Taif on Tuesday. This incident marks the first security alert in Mecca in nearly a decade. Mecca is home to the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site, where two billion Muslims around the world direct their prayers. This year, Saudi Arabia welcomed approximately 1.7 million Muslims for the Hajj season in late May, while remaining vulnerable to direct strikes. Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, required for Muslims to fulfill at least once in their lifetime. Throughout the year, millions of pilgrims visit Mecca for the optional Umrah pilgrimage. Last autumn, Mecca received over 11.7 million pilgrims for Umrah between September and October 2025. Hajj was restricted only during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when Saudi Arabia barred foreign Muslims from performing the pilgrimage to prevent virus spread. The impact of the recent attacks on pilgrimage to Mecca remains uncertain.