Saudi-led coalition accuses Houthis of targeting Mecca

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthi rebels has accused the group of targeting Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, after Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a drone heading towards the city.

 

The Houthis, however, rejected the allegation as a “lie,” with a member of the group’s politburo, Hazem al-Assad, saying the claim was an old narrative that “no longer fools anyone.”

 

Saudi Arabia had issued alerts on Tuesday over possible attacks in Mecca and parts of the country’s south. The Saudi-led coalition said the security of the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims remained a “red line” and warned of retaliatory measures.

 

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OIC, which comprises 57 Muslim countries, condemned what it described as “heinous attacks” against Mecca and the Madinah region.

 

The allegations come amid renewed fighting in Yemen between the Iran-backed Houthis and forces supporting Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.

 

The conflict intensified in July after the Houthis launched a major offensive against government forces. The United Nations says about 82,000 people have been displaced since the beginning of September.

 

The Houthis have also imposed what they described as a maritime blockade on Saudi vessels, amid growing tensions around the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

 

Saudi Arabia and Egypt have called for the freedom and security of maritime navigation through both Bab al-Mandab and the Strait of Hormuz.

 

The disruption has broader economic implications, particularly for Egypt, which depends heavily on revenue from the Suez Canal. Canal revenues are reportedly around half their pre-2023 level, when Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping began.

 

Meanwhile, the Houthis have claimed responsibility for attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and also claimed on Wednesday that they had shot down a Saudi fighter jet.

 

A US official said an American military task force was working to improve intelligence-sharing and planning assistance for Saudi forces as the conflict continues.