Mecca: The ongoing conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels has now reached the holy city of Mecca. The Saudi coalition has claimed that its air defence system has shot down a Houthi drone south of Mecca. This drone was about to enter the restricted airspace of the city. However, the Houthi side has denied the allegation of targeting Mecca.
What did Saudi Arabia say?
According to Saudi coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki, this drone was intercepted south of Mecca on the evening of September 15. He said the drone was destroyed before it could enter the no-fly zone of the holy city. Al-Maliki said that the security of Islam’s holy sites including Mecca and Medina and the security of Hajj pilgrims is of utmost importance to us.
What does the Houthi side have to say?
On the other hand, the Houthis have rejected Saudi’s claim. The Houthi military source said that there is no threat from the organisation to Mecca or any holy site. That means the claims of both sides regarding the purpose of the drone are different.
Is an air alert issued for the first time in Mecca?
On September 15, Saudi Arabia had issued a security alert in many parts of the country including Mecca and Jeddah. According to Reuters, this type of alert was issued for the first time in Mecca during the current war. The alert was later lifted and officials did not immediately say whether any missile or drone had fallen on the city.
Had there been an earlier attempt to target Mecca?
A Saudi coalition spokesman described the incident as the second alleged attempt to target Mecca. According to him, earlier in July 2017 also, Houthis had claimed to have fired ballistic missiles towards Mecca. This time too the Houthi side has refused to target Mecca.
Why did tension increase?
In the last few days, tension has increased significantly in Yemen between attacks by Houthi fighters and counterattacks by Saudi coalition. Houthis have attacked military targets in Saudi Arabia, while the Saudi coalition has carried out air strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. According to Reuters, the recent conflict has drawn Saudi Arabia further into this regional war.
Mecca is the holiest city for Muslims around the world and is also the largest centre of Hajj pilgrimage every year. In such a situation, the security agencies of Saudi Arabia are on extra alert regarding any air security incident around Mecca.
