Saudi Coalition Warns Houthis Over Makkah Drone Threat

Riyadh (GNP): The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen’s Houthi rebels has accused the group of targeting the holy city of Makkah with a drone, an allegation that has drawn condemnation across the Muslim world and deepened an already escalating regional conflict.

The accusation follows a rapid Houthi offensive that saw the group seize Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical route for Saudi oil exports at a time when the wider Middle East war has already disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthis rejected the Makkah allegation outright, with politburo member Hazem al-Assad describing it on social media platform X as a worn-out claim that no longer carries credibility.

The Saudi-led coalition, however, stood firmly behind its account, with spokesman Turki al-Maliki stating that the security of the Two Holy Mosques and the pilgrims who visit them represents a red line that will not be crossed without a response. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, representing 57 Muslim countries, condemned the alleged attack as heinous.

The reported drone incident came a day after ballistic missile and drone attacks launched from Yemen wounded 13 people in southern Saudi Arabia, prompting Saudi authorities to issue rare alerts over possible strikes in Makkah and the kingdom’s south.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attempted attack in the strongest terms, praising the Royal Saudi Armed Forces for their swift response and reaffirming that Pakistan stands shoulder to shoulder with the Kingdom in defence of its sovereignty and the sanctity of the Haramain Sharifain.

The renewed fighting has already displaced roughly 82,000 people since the start of September, according to United Nations figures, as Yemen’s civil war reignites after remaining largely dormant since 2022. Yemen’s permanent representative at the UN, Abdullah al-Saadi, said Yemenis were fighting to restore national institutions across their territory and called on the international community to act against the Houthis.

Regional concern over the Bab al-Mandab Strait has grown alongside the fighting, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi jointly calling for guaranteed freedom of navigation through both the Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab waterways following talks in Cairo.

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Qatar separately warned that any closure of Bab al-Mandab would carry catastrophic consequences for global trade, while Egypt faces its own exposure through reduced Suez Canal revenues, now roughly half of pre-2023 levels since Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping first began.

The Houthis have also struck oil infrastructure inside Saudi Arabia, the world’s leading crude exporter, contributing to global oil prices climbing above $100 a barrel. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi Arabia had carried out 52 airstrikes on Yemen within a 24-hour period, alleging that civilian sites including schools and bridges had been targeted, though those strikes have yet to reverse the group’s territorial gains.

The Saudi-led coalition has said it will respond firmly to protect the kingdom’s sovereignty and take all necessary measures to deter what it has called a hostile and extremist approach.