Saudi Arabia Says Houthis Attempted Drone Attack on Mecca

Saudi Arabia has said that Houthi rebels attempted to carry out a drone attack on the holy city of Mecca. The Saudi-led military coalition said on Wednesday that the drone launched by the Houthis was destroyed before it could enter Mecca’s airspace. According to the coalition, the drone was launched at around 10:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the incident. In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, he said, “I strongly condemn the cowardly and despicable attempt to launch a drone attack on holy Makkah Sharif. Pakistan is deeply shocked and distressed.”

He added that Pakistan stands “shoulder to shoulder” with its brotherly country, Saudi Arabia, in protecting its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The Houthis, meanwhile, have categorically denied Saudi Arabia’s allegation. Houthi Political Bureau member Hizam al-Asad described the claim of an attack on Mecca as a “despicable lie.” He said similar allegations had been made in the past, but “no one is fooled by them anymore.”

The Saudi-led coalition said this was the Houthis’ second attempt to carry out what it described as a terrorist attack on Mecca. The group had previously attempted to target the city with a ballistic missile on July 27, 2017. The coalition said the drone was launched at around 9:50 p.m. on Tuesday and was intercepted and destroyed before it could strike its target.

The conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement dates back to 2014, when a civil war broke out in Yemen. The following year, the Iran-backed Houthis seized the capital, Sana’a. Then-President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi fled to Saudi Arabia, after which a Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign against the Houthis.

In 2022, the two sides agreed to a ceasefire mediated by the United Nations. After nearly four years of relative stability, tensions began to rise again following an attack by Yemeni forces on Sana’a International Airport on July 13.