Saudi Arabia’s air defenses intercepted a Houthi drone south of Mecca on Tuesday, outside the restricted airspace over the holy city, Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said in a statement issued Wednesday, according to Reuters.
The incident marked the second reported Houthi attempt to strike Mecca, following a ballistic missile launch in July 2017. Houthi officials denied involvement, Reuters reported.
Mecca is home to the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure regarded as Islam’s most sacred shrine.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, condemned what it called “heinous attacks” by the Iranian-backed Houthis targeting “the city of Makkah and the Madinah region.”
The attacks, the 58-member organization said on X, “instill fear in innocent civilians, violate the sanctity of holy sites and mosques, and provoke the sentiment of Muslims around the world.”
The OIC also voiced support “for all measures taken by the [Saudi] Kingdom to deter the aggressors.”
The Saudi-led coalition comprises nine Middle Eastern and North African countries under Riyadh’s leadership. It began military operations in Yemen in March 2015 to support the country’s internationally recognized government against Houthi rebels.
Separately on Wednesday, the Houthis claimed they had shot down a Saudi fighter jet using a locally manufactured munition, according to AFP.
“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 mobilizations in the airspace of Marib province, using a locally made air-to-air missile,” an Houthi spokesman said in a social media post cited by the agency.
The Houthi proxy group has made significant military advances in recent days, including seizing control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, AFP reported Tuesday, citing diplomatic sources.
The Bab al-Mandeb has emerged as a critical alternative shipping corridor amid continuing Iranian attacks on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Any closure of the waterway off Yemen’s coast could intensify disruptions to global supply chains and push energy prices higher, after crude oil surpassed $100 a barrel this week.
UN: Freedom of navigation must be safeguarded
The United Nations Security Council convened Tuesday to address the worsening situation across the Arabian Peninsula.
Khaled Khiari, the council’s assistant secretary-general, said developments near the Bab al-Mandab highlighted “the urgent need to prevent Yemen’s conflict from further threatening the security of the Red Sea and this vital international maritime route.”
Commercial shipping through the Red Sea appeared to be continuing without disruption for now, based on maritime tracking services, Khiari said. He called for “sustained engagement that reduces tensions, prevents further escalation and safeguards freedom of navigation.”
He went on to say that at least 125,000 people have been displaced across Yemen since clashes resumed in September, with approximately 2,300 people fleeing to the East African country of Djibouti across the Red Sea.
As a counteroffensive, Yemen’s Government carried out “extensive air strikes” against the Houthis, with localized clashes reported across several front lines and unconfirmed estimates of hundreds of combatant casualties in recent days, Khiari added.
On Saturday, drones reportedly launched from an area inside Iraq hit Saudi Arabia’s East-West Crude Oil Pipeline that runs through the center of the country from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, causing a temporary shutdown for repairs.
Khiari stressed that the strikes interrupted the “crucial artery Saudi Arabia had been using as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.”
Consequently, Saudi has cut oil shipments to Europe, trade sources told Reuters on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia had informed European refiners that some September-loading crude cargoes will be canceled or delayed and oil loadings at the Red Sea port of Yanbu had been suspended. At least three European refiners have had late-September cargoes canceled or postponed to November, according to market sources cited by Argus.
State oil company Saudi Aramco declined to comment, according to Reuters.
US issues travel warning to Saudi Arabia
The U.S. State Department updated its Saudi Arabia travel advisory on Tuesday while maintaining its Level 3 “Reconsider Travel” warning, citing risks including Iranian drone and missile attacks on American interests, armed conflict and terrorism.
U.S. government employees are barred from traveling within 20 miles of the Yemen border or making nonessential trips to Qatif, and require special authorization to travel to the Jizan, Asir, Najran and Qatif provinces.
The travel warning comes after Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense issued an emergency warning for Mecca on Tuesday over a “potential danger.” Similar alerts were issued for Jeddah, Taif, Yanbu, Abha, Jazan and AlUla. Authorities later gave the all-clear in Mecca and the other locations.
Report: Jerusalem, Riyadh launch security dialogue
Jerusalem is monitoring the situation in the Arabian Peninsula closely, Israel’s Channel 12 broadcaster reported.
Israel’s defense establishment is reportedly “concerned” over Washington’s refusal to get militarily involved in the situation in Yemen.
A channel for direct security discussions has been opened between Israel and Saudi Arabia following the latter’s request for assistance, the report added, without specifying further details.
The Saudis are likely to step up airstrikes against the Houthis with the help of U.S. intelligence in an effort to thwart the advancement of the proxy group toward the port city of Aden in southwest Yemen, the report continued.
Meanwhile in Cairo, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met on Tuesday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
The crown prince said in a statement that they both confirmed “their shared commitment to ensuring freedom and security of maritime navigation” in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to the Associated Press.
El-Sissi’s office put out a statement expressing “Egypt’s unwavering position in supporting Saudi Arabia.”
Egypt relies heavily on maritime transit through the Red Sea. A closure or disruption to the free navigation of commercial vessels in the region would be a blow to its fragile economy.
On the previous day, bin Salman met with U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper in Jeddah, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said. The two discussed bilateral relations and regional developments.
