India 'deeply concerned' over alleged Houthi drone attack near Mecca, calls for regional peace

India on Wednesday expressed deep concern over an attempted drone attack on the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia and called for the early restoration of peace and stability in West Asia.

Saudi authorities said a drone launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels towards Makkah was intercepted and destroyed before it entered restricted airspace over the holy city on Tuesday evening. The Houthis have denied the Saudi account and said they do not pose a threat to Mecca.

“We are deeply concerned at the drone attack near Makkah,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. “The incident near Makkah is particularly concerning, given the special significance of the city to Muslims across the world.

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India reiterates its condemnation of attacks on the sovereign territory of Saudi Arabia and of actions that endanger civilian lives and infrastructure, Jaiswal said. “We hope for the early restoration of peace and stability in the region,” he said.

The drone attack targeting Makkah is being seen as a major escalation in renewed hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who have taken control of key territories close to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in recent days.

Turki al-Maliki, the Saudi-led coalition’s spokesperson, said the Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces intercepted the hostile drone south of Makkah on Tuesday evening. He warned that the security of the two holy mosques and pilgrims is a “red line”.

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Saudi Arabia issued a security alert for Makkah on Tuesday for the first time since the Houthis last attempted to target the holy city in 2017.

The alert, however, was lifted after a few minutes.

A Houthi military source strongly rejected the claim that Houthi forces pose a threat to Makkah or other holy sites in a statement issued to Yemen’s SABA news agency. “We categorically deny that there is any threat from Yemen directed at the city of Makkah or any other holy sites,” the source said.

The conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis dates to 2015, when Saudi forces intervened in Yemen after the rebels seized the city of Sanaa and ousted the internationally recognised government.

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India had on Tuesday reiterated its opposition to attacks on merchant shipping and civilian infrastructure amid the West Asia conflict and said Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia’s economic assets undermine regional stability and navigation through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The issue of Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia figured in a meeting between external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, on the margins of the Brics Summit on September 13.

Last week, India condemned Houthi attacks on the energy facilities of oil giant Saudi Aramco that injured 73 people. The Houthis have also attacked Saudi Arabia’s 1,200-km East-West oil pipeline, resulting in the temporary closure of the facility and affecting up to 5% of global oil supply.