Saudi air defences shoot down Houthi drone south of Mecca
Coalition says drone was destroyed before entering restricted airspace over the holy city; Houthis deny posing a threat.
Saudi Arabian air-defence forces intercepted and destroyed a Houthi-operated unmanned aerial vehicle last night south of Mecca, the military coalition spokesman said, preventing the craft from reaching the restricted airspace above the holy city.
What coalition officials say
The coalition's spokesperson, Turki al-Maliki, described the protection of Islam's two holiest sites and the pilgrims who travel there as "the red line" and warned the coalition will take the necessary measures to deter the Houthis. He said the drone was neutralized before it could enter the restricted zone around Mecca.
The spokesman also characterized the incident as a second attempt by the Houthis to strike Mecca, recalling a 2017 launch of a ballistic missile toward the city.
Riyadh issued security alerts yesterday covering parts of the kingdom, including Mecca and other urban centres, after a week of attacks carried out by Iran-linked fighters that, officials say, have drawn Saudi Arabia deeper into wider regional conflict.
The Houthi-aligned SABA news agency quoted a military source from the group denying that the movement posed a threat to Mecca or other holy sites.
Two days earlier the Houthis seized control of sections of Yemen's Red Sea coast near Bab al-Mandeb, a strategic maritime chokepoint, and warned they could threaten shipments of Saudi crude that have been redirected away from the Strait of Hormuz. Over the past week the group has mounted several significant strikes inside Saudi Arabia, including an attack on an aviation base on Monday, which the Houthis said were retaliatory acts for airstrikes in Yemen.
Photo: press material from the event
