Mecca was placed under an aerial threat alert for the first time after Saudi Arabia said its air defences intercepted a Houthi drone near the holy city. The alert also covered parts of Jeddah and Taif before it was lifted.
The incident comes amid a sharp escalation between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Riyadh has accused the Iran-aligned group of carrying out a series of missile and drone attacks across the kingdom.
According to Saudi authorities, the drone was destroyed south of Mecca before it could enter the prohibited airspace around the holy city. Saudi Civil Defence later said the danger had passed and asked residents to continue following official instructions.
Why Was Mecca Put On Alert?
The alarm signal was issued following days of attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Houthis. Attacks using missiles and drones against targets within Saudi Arabia have been increasing amid fighting in Yemen. The new attack is of concern since Mecca is the holy site in Islam, attracting many pilgrims.
According to spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition Turki Al-Malki, the security of the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims will remain a red line, and necessary actions will be taken to prevent similar attacks.
It has been reported that air traffic headed towards Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Medina has been temporarily affected by the alarms. This alarm comes a day after an attack in which 13 people were injured in Saudi Arabia by ballistic missiles and drones fired from Yemen.
Houthis Deny Targeting Mecca
The Houthis have strongly rejected Saudi Arabia’s account. Hazem al-Assad, a member of the Houthi political bureau, denied that the group had targeted Mecca.
“The claims about targeting Mecca are a worn-out lie that has been used before and no longer fools anyone,” he wrote on X. The competing claims mean that Saudi Arabia’s interception of the drone is reported by Riyadh, while the Houthis deny that Mecca was the intended target.
Saudi-Houthi Conflict Escalates
This latest attack comes amid an escalation of events in Yemen as the Houthis continue their attacks with missiles and drones against the Saudis, with Saudi-led forces continuing their attacks on the Houthis.
The Houthis have further captured some territories along Yemen’s Red Sea coast bordering the Bab al-Mandab Straits, a strategic area that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. This has caused concern over disruptions to regional trade and energy supplies passing through the region. Qatar has threatened that any closure of the Bab al-Mandab Straits will be disastrous for the whole world.
“The world is suffering enough with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, so we cannot also afford to add the Bab al-Mandab into that equation,” Qatar’s foreign ministry official Ibrahim Al-Hashmi said.
He described a closure as “catastrophic for the entire world” and called for diplomacy and dialogue. With attacks continuing and the Red Sea route under growing pressure, the latest alert in Mecca has added another sensitive dimension to the rapidly widening regional conflict.
Sudeep Singh Rawat is a Copy Editor at NewsX Digital with over five years of experience in digital journalism. He covers national and international news, with a focus on politics, crime, technology, public affairs, and trending topics. Before joining NewsX Digital, he worked with Business Standard, The Sunday Guardian, and other digital media organisations. His reporting focuses on breaking news, enterprise stories, and explainers that inform readers through accurate, balanced, and context-driven journalism.
