Saudi Arabia says it shot down a Houthi drone near Mecca, Islam’s holiest city

Saudi Press Agency/Reuters

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, Reuters 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.”

The attack comes amid a flurry of fighting . The Houthis launched ballistic missiles and drones at several Saudi Arabian cities earlier this week, including Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Taif, injuring 13 civilians. And on Sunday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on a Saudi military base.

Why Saudi Arabia has few options in its conflict with the Houthis

In response, the Houthis claimed Saudi forces had launched airstrikes across Houthi-held areas of Yemen last Saturday and this Tuesday.

The Houthis have recently stepped up their fighting against Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and have expanded their area of control . Last week they captured a Red Sea port city in Yemen and an island near an important waterway that has, for months, acted as a backup to the Strait of Hormuz, allowing for the export of Saudi oil and refined products.

That tightening grip over shipping in the Red Sea has fueled fears that the main escape valves for the region’s oil are slamming shut, as Iran and the US continue battling for control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil prices climbed back above the $100 per barrel mark last week following further US strikes on Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf and the fighting in Yemen – sparking protests around the world as people demand government action and economic relief.

沙特通讯社/路透社

沙特阿拉伯周二表示，在伊斯兰教圣城麦加郊外击落了一架胡塞武装的无人机——此举迅速引发了地区对伊朗支持的也门反叛组织的谴责。

据沙特领导的联军发言人图尔基·马利基称，这是胡塞武装近十年来首次以麦加为袭击目标，上一次袭击发生在2017年，当时胡塞武装向麦加发射了一枚弹道导弹，但被拦截。路透社报道称，胡塞武装官员迅速否认了袭击麦加的指控。

近几周来，反叛组织在也门迅速推进，并对邻国沙特阿拉伯发动袭击，使这个海湾阿拉伯王国处境日益艰难，面临着被卷入更大规模冲突的前景，而美伊战争仍在持续。

麦加是先知穆罕默德的诞生地。全世界所有穆斯林一生中至少要前往这座圣城朝圣一次，每年都有数百万穆斯林踏上这段旅程。

“这一敌对企图也将成为极端恐怖组织胡塞武装侵犯人权记录上的一个污点，这是蓄意挑衅数百万穆斯林感情的行为，”马利基在X网站上发帖称，并誓言将对武装分子采取“必要和威慑措施”。

代表 15 亿穆斯林的 57 个成员国组成的伊斯兰合作组织（OIC）也谴责了此次袭击，称此次袭击“侵犯了圣地和清真寺的神圣性”，并“在无辜平民中散播恐惧”。

此次袭击发生在近期一系列激烈战斗之中。本周早些时候，胡塞武装向沙特阿拉伯多个城市发射弹道导弹和无人机，包括哈米斯穆沙伊特、艾卜哈和塔伊夫，造成13名平民受伤。周日，胡塞武装声称对一起针对沙特军事基地的袭击事件负责。

为什么沙特阿拉伯在与胡塞武装的冲突中选择余地不多？

对此，胡塞武装声称沙特军队上周六和本周二对胡塞武装控制的也门地区发动了空袭。

胡塞武装近期加大了对也门沙特支持的政府的打击力度，并扩大了控制区域。上周，他们占领了也门红海沿岸的一座港口城市以及一条重要水道附近的岛屿。这条水道数月来一直是霍尔木兹海峡的备用通道，保障了沙特石油和成品油的出口。

红海航运受到的日益严格的控制加剧了人们的担忧，即该地区石油的主要出口阀门正在关闭，因为伊朗和美国仍在争夺霍尔木兹海峡的控制权。

上周，由于美国进一步袭击海湾地区的伊朗油轮以及也门战事，油价重回每桶 100 美元以上，引发了世界各地的抗议活动，人们要求政府采取行动并提供经济援助。