Another "Potential Danger" Warning For Mecca, 2nd Time In A Month

The Saudi Civil Defence issued an alert for the holy city of Mecca on Thursday, as week as other regions, in warnings that usually indicate a potential threat of missiles.

"A warning has been issued by the National Early Warning Platform in Mecca City to alert of a potential danger," the agency said in a post on its official X handle.

تم إطلاق إنذار من المنصة الوطنية للإنذار المبكر في حالات الطوارئ في مدينة مكة المكرمة للتحذير من خطر، اتبع الآتي:

A warning has been issued by the National Early Warning Platform in Mecca City to alert of a potential danger. Please follow the instructions below: pic.twitter.com/8YtJcQ1zxb

— الدفاع المدني السعودي (@SaudiDCD) September 24, 2026

This is the second time in less than 10 days that the authorities have issued such a warning for Mecca, home to Islam's holiest site.

Separate warnings were issued for other areas of Saudi Arabia's western coast, including the Red Sea governorate of Yanbu as well as the Taif, Jeddah and Tabuk regions.

Later, the Saudi coalition battling Houthis, a group of 57 countries, said it had intercepted six ballistic missiles launched by the armed group. It said Saudi air defence forces thwarted an attempt to target Taif and Yanbu.

"Escalations and violations by the terrorist Houthi militia will be dealt with firmly," said coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki in a series of posts on X.

According to news agency AFP, the alerts were lifted a few minutes later. In recent weeks, these alerts have preceded attacks by Yemen's Houthis, an armed group backed by Iran.

Last week, Saudi Arabia accused the Houthis of targeting Mecca with a drone that was downed. It said that was the first time since 2017 such an attempt was made. The group has denied the allegations. 

The last alert, which came on September 15, was issued after the kingdom's air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca. It could not enter the prohibited airspace.

A few days later, Houthis targeted the Saudi capital Riyadh for the first time in years, marking a fresh escalation in the conflict.

The Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government have been involved in fresh fighting amid Tehran's war with the US. The conflict emerged after the armed group declared a maritime blockade on the kingdom and targeted its ships in the Red Sea.

Earlier this month, the Houthis seized control of strategic coastal areas overlooking the Bab al-Mandab strait, vital for Saudi oil exports, after capturing territory from Saudi-backed government forces.

The Houthis, at war with a Saudi-led coalition that has propped up the internationally-recognised Yemeni government since 2015, has ramped up its attacks against the kingdom, embroiling Yemen in the Middle East war.