Overhead view of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, May 29, 2026 (Saudi Press Agency)
EA on Pakistan TV: Crisis Surges as Advance of Yemen’s Houthis Joins Failing US War on Iran
Saudi Arabia has warned that the security of Mecca is a “red line”, claiming that it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of the holy city on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen fighting the Iran-backed Houthis said it would take necessary deterrent measures.
Mecca is Islam’s holiest city. Its annual hajj pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam.
The coalition spokesperson, Turki al-Malki, said Tuesday’s incident was the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca, following a ballistic missile launch in July 2017.
Houthi spokesperson Hazem al-Assad countered, “The claims about targeting Mecca are a worn-out lie that has been used before and no longer fools anyone.”
But the Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemned a “heinous” attack and blamed the Houthis for the “ongoing aggression against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”.
Saudi Arabia issued security alerts across the country. The US Embassy issued an advisory to “reconsider travel” to the Kingdom.
In the past week, the Houthis have advanced in Yemen against Saudi-backed Government forces. They have seized control of the Red Sea coast along the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and carried out a series of strikes on Saudi territory. On Tuesday, they claimed an assault with “dozens of ballistic missiles and drones” on the King Khalid airbase.
Saudi Arabia has responded with scores of airstrikes on the Houthis in Yemen.
