The coalition led by Saudi Arabia announced that a drone launched by the Houthis towards Mecca was destroyed on Tuesday night before entering Restricted airspace. Turki al-Maliki, the spokesman for the Saudi coalition, condemned the incident as an attempt to intimidate pilgrims and harm civilians, warning that the security of the two holy mosques and pilgrims is a red line that must not be crossed.
Security Threats in Mecca
On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia issued a security alert for Mecca for the first time since the last Houthi attempt to target this holy area in 2017. The alert was quickly lifted after a few minutes. A similar alert was also activated for the cities of Taif and Jeddah, the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia.
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A Houthi military source strongly denied claims of a threat from Houthi forces to Mecca or other Islamic holy sites in a statement to the Saba news agency in Yemen. The source said, "We firmly reject the claim that there is a threat from Yemen towards Mecca or other holy sites" and described it as "false information."
Escalation of Conflicts and Consequences
Recent attacks indicate a significant increase in conflicts since 2015, when Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen after the Houthis seized the Senate and overthrew the internationally recognized government. A UN-monitored ceasefire in April 2022 largely halted Houthi attacks on Saudi territory, but tensions have escalated again since the group declared a blockade on Saudi shipping in July and took control of vital chokepoints along the country's Bab al-Mandab coast.
In early September, the Iran-backed group fired missiles and drones at various locations in Saudi Arabia, indicating a sharp rise in conflicts. Riyadh has accused the Houthis of conducting attacks on civilian and economic sites in the country.
The coalition led by Saudis announced that it would respond "strongly" to Houthi attacks on urban areas that resulted in injuries to 13 people in the cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Taif on Tuesday. This is the first time in nearly a decade that a security alert has been activated in Mecca.
Mecca is home to the Kaaba, the holiest site in Islam, and two billion Muslims worldwide face towards the Kaaba during their daily prayers. Saudi Arabia has welcomed about 1.7 million Muslims for the Hajj season in late May, while the country is under direct attack.
The Hajj, as one of the five pillars of Islam, is essential for Muslims to perform at least once in their lifetime. Throughout the year, millions of pilgrims travel to Mecca to perform Umrah rituals. Last fall, Mecca welcomed over 11.7 million pilgrims for Umrah between September and October 2025.
The Hajj was only restricted in 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19, when Saudi Arabia refused to accept foreign Muslims for this pilgrimage to prevent the spread of the virus. It remains to be seen whether these attacks on Saudi Arabia will affect the pilgrimage rituals in Mecca.
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