A Saudi-led coalition said on Friday that its forces had intercepted and destroyed a drone sent by Yemen’s Houthi movement into the Makkah region. The Iran-aligned group rejected the account and denied carrying out any operation against Saudi territory.
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki announced the interception in a post on X, saying the drone had been destroyed in the area. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree called the statement a “massive and egregious fabrication” and said the group had not launched any attack towards Saudi Arabia.
Houthi denials and past attacks in Makkah
Saree said the group’s operations had instead hit Saudi oil facilities and military bases. Saudi Arabia has previously reported Houthi missile and drone attacks in the Makkah region, while the group has repeatedly rejected claims that it targeted Makkah and Madina, the two holiest sites in Islam.
Also read: Pakistan condemns Houthi missile attacks on Makkah and Madina
The Houthis have carried out cross-border attacks on Saudi military installations, airports and energy infrastructure. They have also increased strikes on Saudi-backed government positions in Yemen, including in Aden, a southern city that is a base for the internationally recognised government.
Strikes and missile incidents in Jawf and Aden
On Wednesday, strikes blamed on Saudi Arabia killed at least 14 people and wounded 10 others in Houthi-held areas of northwestern Jawf province, according to the Houthi broadcaster Almasirah. The reported casualties included women and children.
In a separate incident in Aden, a local police source said a Houthi missile landed inside the airport perimeter shortly before the group urged residents to leave the area. The source said a Saudi military aircraft was on the runway during the strike, was not hit, and took off soon afterwards.
In a Telegram post, Saree told people at Aden airport to leave, claiming a Saudi military cargo plane was carrying weapons. That claim was not independently verified. The Houthis have targeted Aden several times in recent weeks, and an earlier missile attack this month struck the presidential palace in the city.
Truce collapse fuels wider regional tensions
Yemen’s conflict has intensified since a fragile truce broke down in July, triggering renewed attacks between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces. The escalation has added to regional tensions during the wider Middle East war, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.
