Saudi Arabia has destroyed a drone belonging to Yemen’s Houthi rebels near the holy city of Mecca. The Saudi-led military coalition reported that the drone was destroyed in the southern region of Mecca on Tuesday before it could enter restricted airspace. Riyadh has warned that it will take necessary, stern preventive measures against the Houthis, declaring the security of the Two Holy Mosques in Mecca and Medina—as well as the safety of pilgrims—a “red line.” The Guardian reported this news.
Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi coalition, stated early Wednesday that there would be “no compromise” regarding the security of the holy sites. He noted that this was the Houthis’ second attempted attack targeting the city of Mecca; they had previously fired a ballistic missile in July 2017. However, Houthi spokesperson Hazem al-Assad categorically denied the allegation. He stated on social media that the claim of targeting Mecca was an old and baseless fabrication that could no longer mislead anyone. Meanwhile, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)—a bloc of 57 Muslim-majority nations—has strongly condemned the attack.
The organization stated that attacks on holy sites, mosques, and civilian targets amount to outright terrorism and are completely unacceptable. It expressed full solidarity with Saudi Arabia regarding its sovereignty and the measures taken to protect the holy sites.
