Bid to attack Makkah is the red line, Saudi Arabia tells Houthis

Saudi Arabia accused Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels of trying to attack Makkah City, as the region responded with condemnation on Wednesday but no sign of military support. The kingdom, a key US ally, declared Makkah a "red line” as it slid deeper into the new front of the Iran war.

The Houthis denied firing drones toward Makkah, about 1,100 kilometres from Yemen’s border. The Saudis said they intercepted and destroyed the drone before it entered the airspace over the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry condemned the targeting of the Holy City of Makkah as a "cowardly terrorist attack" and reaffirmed the kingdom's right to "defend the security of the two holy mosques, the pilgrims, and the entire Saudi territory."

The Gulf kingdom "reaffirms its legitimate right to take all necessary measures to defend the security of the two Holy Mosques, the pilgrims, and the entire Saudi territory, its citizens, and its residents," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

This was the second attempted attack by the Houthis against Makkah after the rebels fired a ballistic missile toward the city in 2017, according to Colonel Turki Al Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition fighting the rebels.

Riyadh said its air defences had shot down a Houthi drone south of Makkah on Tuesday before it entered prohibited airspace over ​the Holy City.

Houthis on Wednesday also said that they shot down a Saudi fighter jet, claiming a locally made munition was used to target the warplane.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces, with Allah's aid and grace, succeeded in shooting down a Saudi F15 fighter jet while it was carrying out hostile operations in support of its military mobilisations in the airspace of Marib province," the Houthis' military spokesman said.

In a sign of the worsening conflict, the United States tightened its travel warning for ‌Saudi Arabia, banning government employees from travelling within ‌20 miles of the Yemen border.

Criticism also came from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), representing over 57 Muslim states, which said the attempt violates the "sanctity of Holy Sites.”

India on Wednesday expressed concern over the drone attack near Makkah and expressed hope for early restoration of peace and stability in the region.

In response to media queries regarding the drone attack near Makkah, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal termed the incident "particularly concerning", considering the religious significance of the Saudi Arabian city.

Turkey's foreign minister expressed solidarity and said no country can "remain indifferent,” state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Agencies