Mecca 'Red Line': Saudi Coalition Warns of Retaliation as Houthis Deny Drone Attack
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthi movement accused the group on Wednesday of targeting Mecca, saying it had shot down a drone headed towards the holy city. The Houthis rejected the allegation as a "lie" and denied any such attack.
The coalition said the security of the Two Holy Mosques and of pilgrims was a "red line", and that its Joint Forces Command would "not hesitate to take the necessary and deterrent measures" against what it described as the "Terrorist Houthi Militia". The statement was shared on X by coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki.
"The claims about targeting Mecca are a worn-out lie that has been used before and no longer fools anyone," wrote Hazem al-Assad of the Houthis' politburo, also on X.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, a bloc of 57 member states, condemned the reported attack as "heinous". Neither the Saudi claim nor the Houthi denial could be independently verified.
Saudi Arabia had issued brief alerts on Tuesday over possible attacks in Mecca and across much of the kingdom's south, which borders Yemen. The alert for Mecca was the first since the wider Middle East war erupted in February, according to the alerts cited. It followed a wave of ballistic missile and drone attacks launched from Yemen that wounded 13 people in southern Saudi Arabia.
Fighting has intensified since July, when the Houthis — who have controlled large parts of northern Yemen for years — launched a large-scale offensive against Yemeni government forces. Last week the group said it had taken control of Yemen's entire Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, saying it would target Saudi vessels. It says other shipping faces no threat in the waterway.
The Bab al-Mandab links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is a vital route for Saudi oil exports. Disruption there would also affect Egypt, since the Red Sea is the gateway to the Suez Canal, a key source of foreign revenue for Cairo. Canal revenues are currently about half their level before the Houthis began attacking Red Sea shipping in 2023 — a campaign the group said was in solidarity with Palestinians during Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called on Tuesday for "ensuring the freedom and security of maritime navigation" through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab, the Egyptian presidency said.
US media reported last week that the Saudi crown prince had made a personal request to President Donald Trump for American intervention, which was declined. Neither government confirmed the report, which this publication has not independently verified.
Qatar warned on Tuesday that closing the Bab al-Mandab would be "catastrophic for the entire world".
Yemen's permanent representative to the United Nations, Abdullah al-Saadi, said Yemenis were fighting to restore "national institutions across every inch of their land", and urged the international community to act against the Houthis.
The conflict, in the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country, has displaced about 82,000 people since the start of September, according to the United Nations. The renewed fighting marks an end to the relative lull that had largely held since a truce in 2022.
