MAJOR ESCALATION: Saudi Arabia Announces It Shot Down Houthi Drone Targeting Islam’s “Holiest City” Mecca | JP
The Iranian-backed Houthis targeted Islam’s holiest city Mecca on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia officials announced that they shot down a Houthi drone that was flying over Mecca’s airspace.
The move by the Houthis is being deemed as a major escalation against their Muslim neighbors considering Muslims consider Mecca a “holy” city due to it being the birthplace of their Prophet Muhammad.
CNN had the full scoop:
Saudi Arabia said it shot down a Houthi drone on the outskirts of Islam’s holiest city Mecca on Tuesday –– prompting swift regional condemnation of the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group.
It’s the first time that the Houthis have targeted Mecca in almost a decade, since a ballistic missile attack was intercepted in 2017, according to Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led Coalition Forces. Houthi officials quickly denied targeting Mecca, JP reported.
The rebel group’s swift advance in Yemen and attacks on neighboring Saudi Arabia in recent weeks have put the Gulf Arab kingdom in a increasing difficult position, facing the prospect of being drawn into a wider conflict, as the US-Iran war drags on.
Mecca is the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad. All Muslims worldwide are required to make the pilgrimage to the holy city at least once in their life, with millions making the journey each year.
“This hostile attempt will also remain a black mark in the record of violations by the extremist terrorist Houthi militia, as a deliberate act intended to provoke the feelings of millions of Muslims,” Al-Maliki said in a post on X, vowing to take the “necessary and deterrent measures” against the militants.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a 57-member body representing 1.5 billion Muslims, also condemned the attack, saying the attempted strikes “violate the sanctity of holy sites and mosques” and “instill fear in innocent civilians.”
Here was the scene:
🔴 MOMENTS AGO: Saudi Arabia issued an emergency missile and drone warning for Makkah and several other cities, including Jeddah, Taif, Yanbu, Abha, Jazan and AlUla. pic.twitter.com/6oSLkANGyD
— Makkah Updates🕋 (@MakkahUpdate) September 16, 2026
The attack by the Houthis came just a week after Saudi Arabia closed its crude oil pipeline after it was attacked by Iranian backed proxies last week.
CNBC reported more on Saudi Arabia’s move:
Saudi Arabia’s critical East-West crude oil pipeline will start operating again “very soon” after Iran-backed attacks forced its closure, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC in an interview Tuesday.
“This will be a brief and temporary interruption. It will be measured in days,” Wright told CNBC’s Morgan Brennan in Houston where energy officials from G20 nations are meeting.
The Saudis closed the pipeline late last week after it sustained damage in drone attacks launched from Iraq. Iran-backed proxy groups are responsible for the strikes, Wright said.
Riyadh has relied on the pipeline to shift crude oil exports to the Red Sea as the U.S. and Iran battle for control over the Strait of Hormuz. The Saudis are now shifting some exports back through Hormuz with U.S. military support while the pipeline is down, Wright said.
U.S. crude oil prices have gained more than 5% this week to trade above $105 per barrel, as the market tries to assess how big a supply disruption the pipeline outage will cause.
Saudi Arabia has cancelled some oil deliveries to Europe after drone attacks shut down its key export pipeline to the Red Sea.
The rare move has caused global panic and forced buyers to rush for alternatives. pic.twitter.com/u0HHi9sama
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) September 16, 2026