Saudi Arabia Calls Houthi Drone Near Mecca a “Red Line,” Warns of Response

Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis are escalating: Saudi air-defense systems intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by the Houthis south of Mecca yesterday, before it could enter the city’s restricted airspace. The announcement came from the Riyadh-led military coalition fighting the Iran-backed group.

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said early this morning that protecting Islam’s two holiest sites and the safety of pilgrims is a “red line.” He said the coalition would take the necessary deterrent measures against the Houthis following the incident.

Mecca is the focal point of the annual *Hajj* pilgrimage, considered one of Islam’s five fundamental obligations and attended by millions of Muslims each year. According to al-Maliki, this was the Houthis’ second attempt to strike the city, after the coalition claimed that a ballistic missile was launched toward it in July 2017.

The Houthis denied the allegations. Spokesman Hazem al-Assad wrote on X: “The claims of an attempt to strike Mecca are a worn-out lie that has been used before and no longer fools anyone.”

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which includes 57 Muslim-majority countries, condemned what it called a “despicable” attack and accused the Houthis of “continued aggression against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia advised American citizens to reconsider travel to the country amid concerns that Iran could attack U.S. interests. The statement also emphasized: “We advise our citizens not to travel to areas along the border with Yemen because of the terrorist threat.”