Saudi Arabia says attempted Mecca drone attack ‘red line’ as Houthis deny claim

The escalation between Yemen’s Houthis and Saudi Arabia comes as the Iranian-backed group reportedly met with US officials in Oman to discuss maritime security.

Beatrice Farhat

Sep 16, 2026

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Saudi Arabia’s air defenses intercepted and destroyed a drone south of the city of Mecca, which it said was launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels late on Tuesday, in the first attack on Islam’s holiest city since the escalation of the conflict between the two sides this month. 

What happened: In a statement released on Wednesday, the spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition, Col. Turki al-Maliki, said Saudi air defenses shot down the drone before it entered Mecca's restricted airspace, some 70 kilometers (43 miles) inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea coast in western Saudi Arabia.

Maliki condemned the incident as a “disgraceful act” and an attempt to frighten worshippers and harm civilians, warning that “the security of the Two Holy Mosques and the pilgrims is........

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