Saudi Arabia said it shot down a Houthi drone near Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, on Tuesday, drawing swift regional condemnation of the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group,
CNN reports.
Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led Coalition Forces, accused the group of targeting the city, saying it was the first time in almost a decade that the Houthis had targeted Mecca.
The security of the holy site is “a red line,” he said, adding that the kingdom “will not hesitate to take the necessary and deterrent measures” against the Yemeni group.
The claim was strongly denied by the Houthis, who follow the Zaydi branch of Shiite Islam and also revere Mecca as a sacred city.
The group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said early Wednesday that its targets were Saudi oil facilities and military bases “far removed from the holy places.”
“The fabrications and lies propagated by the criminal Saudi regime regarding targeting Mecca cannot deceive anyone,” Saree said. “There is no threat whatsoever from Yemen to the holy sites.”
Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed the drone “before it entered” Mecca’s restricted airspace, without specifying how close it was to the city.
