Saudi Arabia says Houthis target Mecca, warns of 'red line'

A Saudi Arabia-led military coalition battling Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis accused the rebels of targeting the holy city of Mecca on Wednesday, sparking outrage throughout the Muslim world amid the ongoing Middle East conflict.

"The security of the Two Holy Mosques and the pilgrims is a red line, and the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition will not hesitate to take the necessary and deterrent measures against the Terrorist Houthi Militia," the coalition said in a statement shared by spokesman Turki al-Maliki on X. 

According to the statement, the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone "launched by the Terrorist Houthi Militia" before it entered the airspace of the holy city.

Saudi Arabia had issued brief alerts on Tuesday over possible attacks in Mecca and in the kingdom's southern region which borders Yemen.

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How did the Houthis respond?

The Houthis were quick to reject the coalition's claims as a "lie."

"The claims about targeting Mecca are a worn-out lie that has been used before and no longer fools anyone," Hazem al-Assad, a high-ranking member from the Houthi movement, wrote on X.

Meanwhile the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a bloc of 57 Muslim nations, condemned the "henious" attack.

The OIC General Secretariat "stresses that the violation of the sanctity of the holy sites is an unacceptable and intolerable transgression that requires deterring the perpetrators and blocking the path of anyone who dares to infringe upon these sites," it said in a statement. 

Why are Saudi forces in conflict with the outhis?

Saudi Arabia is being increasingly affected by the rapidly escalating conflict across its southern border in Yemen, where the Iran-backed Houthis are fighting Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces.

Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia injured 13 people on Monday night, bringing the total number of people injured since the conflict escalated in July to about 100.

In July, the Houthis also blocked Saudi oil shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, that had been serving as an alternative route for Saudi oil exports amid Iran's blockade of the nearby Strait of Hormuz.

Houthi attacks in Yemen open dangerous new Middle East front

With the kingdom under attack, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday reached out to Egypt for support against Yemen's Houthi rebels. The leaders called for "ensuring the freedom and security of maritime navigation" through Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab — which links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

The growing escalation has opened up another front in the Middle East, which is already grappling with the US war on Iran.

Amid the latest development, the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday issued an advisory asking its citizens to "reconsider travel" to the kingdom.

It warned of the "risk of Iranian drone and missile targeting American interests, armed conflict, terrorism, exit bans and local laws regarding social media activity."

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Edited by: Natalie Muller

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