Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned a Houthi drone launch toward Mecca a day earlier, calling it a 'cowardly terror attack' on the site of revelation and the direction of Muslim prayer, according to N12. The statement joins a wave of regional condemnations following the incident.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry condemned the Houthi drone launch toward Mecca a day earlier, calling it a 'cowardly terror attack' on the site of revelation and the direction of Muslim prayer, according to N12. The statement adds an official Saudi governmental condemnation to the broader wave of denunciations from Arab and Muslim states reported earlier by The Zioneer.
As The Zioneer reported at 02:49 Jerusalem, Saudi air defenses intercepted a Houthi drone south of Mecca on Tuesday evening. The Saudi-led coalition stated that air defenses downed the drone, and coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki called any threat to Islam's holiest sites and pilgrims a 'red line,' warning of deterrent measures. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca. Later that night, a broad coalition of Arab and Muslim governments — including Saudi Arabia itself (in a prior statement), Kuwait, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, the Arab League, and the Palestinian presidency — condemned the launch. Now, the Saudi Foreign Ministry has issued its own separate condemnation.
The Houthi movement, an Iranian-backed Yemeni militia, has repeatedly targeted Saudi territory over the past years. The Zioneer has previously documented Houthi strikes against Saudi infrastructure, including airports and oil refineries, as well as attacks on the UAE and naval vessels in the Red Sea, reflecting the group's growing drone and missile capabilities. The targeting of Mecca, Islam's holiest city, is a significant escalation in the nature of Houthi attacks, drawing rare unified outrage across the Muslim world.
The Houthis have denied the drone was aimed at Mecca, claiming their operations are directed at military targets. The full details of the interception and any debris have not been independently confirmed. The Saudi coalition has not released further details on the drone's intended target within Mecca.
7 developments
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