The Royal Saudi Air Defence reportedly intercepted a drone before it entered the prohibited airspace around Mecca, the holiest site in Islam. A Saudi-led coalition has said Yemen's Houthis launched the drone.
The coalition has said it was the second attempt aimed at Mecca after a ballistic missile attack in July 2017.
The coalition's spokesman Major General Turki Al-Malki called the incident a “hostile and terrorist act”. “The security of the Two Holy Mosques and the pilgrims is a red line,” Al-Malki said, adding that the coalition's joint forces “will not hesitate to take the necessary and deterrent measures” against the Houthis.
Al-Malki has claimed the drone attack was an attempt to terrorise pilgrims and harm citizens. The holy site of Mecca draws millions of believers from around the world each year.
The coalition forces and the Houthis have been exchanging accusations over military operations in Yemen. Before the attempted drone strike, Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree posted on Telegram that Saudi warplanes carried out 52 airstrikes over the preceding 24 hours using F-15 and Typhoon aircraft operating from Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases.
Saree alleged that the strikes hit civilian infrastructure, including schools, bridges and roads in Taiz governorate, as well as other targets in Al-Jawf, Al-Bayda, Saada and Amran governorates. “These brutal attacks will not go unanswered,” Saree said in the statement.
The developments have come at a time when the conflict in West Asia has expanded into Yemen. The alleged attack on Mecca has escalated the issue.
