Saudi claims Houthi drone destroyed near Mecca, Yemeni group dismisses 'lies'

This attack follows a week of attacks from the Yemeni militant group, which have drawn Saudi Arabia deeper into the war.

Saudi Arabia has warned the Houthis of a “red line” after a drone was shot down and destroyed near Mecca. A spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen stated that the Houthi drone was destroyed before it entered the prohibited airspace over the holy city.

The drone, intercepted on Tuesday evening, was the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca after a ballistic missile launch in July 2017, spokesperson Turki al-Malki said in a statement, as reported by news agency Reuters.

Mecca is home to some of the holiest sites in Islam and the focal point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, and its security was a "red line," the coalition added in the statement.

Houthis dismiss ‘worn-out lie'

Shortly after Saudi Arabia alleged an attack on Mecca, a spokesperson from the Houthis' political bureau stated that the claim that the group targeted Mecca was false.

"The claims about targeting Mecca are a worn-out lie that has been used before and no longer fools anyone," Hazem al-Assad from the Houthis' politburo wrote on X.

In a statement on Telegram, Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree also denied the attack and accused the Saudi regime of spreading lies.

"The fabrications and lies promoted by the criminal Al Saud regime regarding the targeting of the Honorable Mecca cannot deceive anyone, for it is they who desecrate it with debauchery and licentiousness and by importing prostitutes, and there is no threat from Yemen to the sanctities," said the statement.

Saree added Houthi operations were directed at Saudi's "oil facilities and military bases, which are far removed from the sacred sites.”