Saudi accuses Houthis of ‘cowardly’ drone attack on Mecca, launches airstrikes at Yemen

The recent escalation in Yemen's conflict saw renewed Saudi airstrikes following accusations by Riyadh that the Houthis targeted Mecca with a drone, which the Houthis denied.

The tension has sparked international condemnation, with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and several countries denouncing the alleged attack on Islam's holiest city.

Saudi Arabia, asserting its defense of the holy sites, faces increasing regional hostility as the Houthis, controlling key maritime routes, pose threats to vital Saudi interests in the Red Sea.

The conflict, previously dormant, exacerbates regional instability with implications for global shipping routes.

RIYADH, Sept 17 — Yemen’s Houthis reported fresh Saudi airstrikes on Wednesday, as Riyadh accused the group of launching a “cowardly” attack targeting Islam’s holy city of Mecca.

The Houthis swiftly rejected as a “lie” Riyadh’s early morning statement that it had shot down a drone heading towards Mecca, but the accusation prompted a chorus of outrage from around the Muslim world.

Renewed fighting between the Houthis and Yemen’s Riyadh-backed government has dragged in the kingdom, after the Houthis declared a maritime blockade on Saudi ships in the Red Sea.

Last week, the Houthis seized control of the entirety of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital artery for Saudi oil exports as the wider Middle East war chokes off the Strait of Hormuz shipping route.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry condemned the targeting of Mecca as a “cowardly terrorist attack” and reaffirmed the kingdom’s right to “defend the security of the two holy mosques, the pilgrims, and the entire Saudi territory”.

Houthi politburo member Hazem al-Assad, however, dismissed the accusation as “a worn-out lie that has been used before and no longer fools anyone”.

One Mecca resident who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity said they “saw a few people panicking, running to the window to see what happened” after locals received an alert on their phones warning of an attack.

But, they added, “life is normal in Mecca”.

Saudi Arabia has accused the Houthis of launching attacks towards the city in an earlier conflict.

The Saudi-led coalition battling the group vowed retaliation, saying “the security of the Two Holy Mosques and the pilgrims is a red line”.

“The coalition will not hesitate to take the necessary and deterrent measures against the Terrorist Houthi Militia.”

On Wednesday evening, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said “Saudi warplanes launched 40 airstrikes... targeting the provinces of Taiz, Marib, and Hodeidah over the past 24 hours”.

He had previously put the number of Saudi strikes launched over the past week at more than 450, saying that in response, the group had targeted a Saudi air base and a state oil company facility in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu.

The group also claimed on Wednesday to have shot down a Saudi fighter jet.

‘Aren’t they Muslims?’

Saudi Arabia had issued alerts on Tuesday warning of possible attacks in Mecca and across parts of the south.

“I won’t hide that we were scared,” another Mecca resident said on condition of anonymity.

“Aren’t they Muslims? They’re targeting the holiest city. What’s inside to target?”

During this year’s hajj pilgrimage, the Saudi defence ministry released a video showing advanced air defence batteries positioned on the outskirts of Mecca.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation – a bloc of 57 Muslim countries – condemned the “heinous attacks”, while Arab League chief Nabil Fahmy called it “a matter of extreme gravity”.

Turkey’s foreign ministry “strongly” condemned the attack. The governments of Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Pakistan also voiced outrage.

Yemen’s civil war has been largely dormant since 2022, but fighting flared in July when the Houthis, who have for years controlled swathes of the north, launched a large-scale offensive against government forces.

The conflict in the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country has forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes, according to the United Nations.

Yemen’s permanent representative at the UN, Abdullah al-Saadi, said the government was fighting to restore “national institutions across every inch” of the country, and called on the international community to take action against the Houthis.

Clashes near the border

Yemeni government forces are clashing with Houthi fighters near the Saudi border, with AFP footage showing soldiers in armoured vehicles and trucks pushing across desert terrain under the crackle of machine-gun fire.

Two military sources told AFP on Wednesday that government forces were fighting the Houthis for control of Al-Labanat camp, whose capture would theoretically clear the path to Al-Hazm, the capital of Al-Jawf governorate, 50 kilometres away.

With the Houthis targeting Saudi ships in the Red Sea, the kingdom’s de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called on Tuesday for free navigation in the waterway, which serves as a gateway to the Suez Canal, a crucial source of revenue for Cairo.

US media reported last week that the crown prince made a personal request to President Donald Trump for US intervention, but was turned down.

A US military task force is working to enhance intelligence-sharing and planning assistance for Saudi forces, a US official told AFP on Tuesday.

The Houthis have insisted there is no threat to navigation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait except for Saudi vessels, but any attacks in the waterway are likely to make it less attractive to shippers. — AFP

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也门冲突近期升级，沙特阿拉伯再次发动空袭，此前利雅得指责胡塞武装使用无人机袭击麦加，但胡塞武装否认了这一指控。

此次紧张局势引发了国际社会的谴责，伊斯兰合作组织和多个国家谴责了据称对伊斯兰教圣城的袭击。

沙特阿拉伯为捍卫圣地而采取强硬立场，但随着控制着重要海上航线的胡塞武装对沙特在红海的重要利益构成威胁，沙特阿拉伯面临着日益加剧的地区敌意。

此前一直处于休眠状态的冲突加剧了地区不稳定，对全球航运路线产生了影响。

利雅得，9 月 17 日——也门胡塞武装周三报告称，沙特方面再次发动空袭。与此同时，利雅得指责该组织发动了针对伊斯兰教圣城麦加的“懦弱”袭击。

胡塞武装迅速驳斥了利雅得清晨发布的击落一架飞往麦加的无人机的声明，称其为“谎言”。但这一指控引发了整个穆斯林世界的强烈愤慨。

胡塞武装宣布对沙特船只在红海实施海上封锁后，胡塞武装与也门利雅得支持的政府之间的新一轮战斗已蔓延至沙特阿拉伯王国。

上周，胡塞武装控制了也门红海沿岸全部地区和曼德海峡，而曼德海峡是沙特阿拉伯石油出口的重要通道，因为更广泛的中东战争切断了霍尔木兹海峡的航运路线。

沙特阿拉伯外交部谴责针对麦加的袭击是“懦弱的恐怖袭击”，并重申沙特王国有权“捍卫两座圣寺、朝圣者和整个沙特领土的安全”。

然而，胡塞武装政治局委员哈泽姆·阿萨德驳斥了这一指控，称其为“一个老掉牙的谎言，以前就用过，现在已经骗不了任何人了”。

一位不愿透露姓名的麦加居民告诉法新社，当地居民收到手机警报警告即将发生袭击后，“看到一些人惊慌失措地跑到窗边查看发生了什么事”。

但他们补充说，“麦加的生活一切如常”。

沙特阿拉伯指责胡塞武装在早前的冲突中对该市发动袭击。

与该组织作战的沙特领导的联军誓言报复，称“两圣寺和朝圣者的安全是不可逾越的红线”。

“联军将毫不犹豫地对胡塞武装恐怖分子采取必要和威慑措施。”

周三晚间，胡塞武装发言人叶海亚·萨里表示，“过去24小时内，沙特战机对塔​​伊兹省、马里卜省和荷台达省发动了40次空袭”。

他此前曾表示，过去一周沙特发动的袭击次数超过 450 次，并称作为回应，该组织袭击了位于红海港口城市延布的一个沙特空军基地和一家国家石油公司设施。

该组织周三还声称击落了一架沙特战斗机。

“他们不是穆斯林吗？”

沙特阿拉伯周二发布警报，警告称麦加和南部部分地区可能发生袭击事件。

“我不会隐瞒我们当时很害怕，”另一位不愿透露姓名的麦加居民说道。

“他们不是穆斯林吗？他们竟然袭击圣城。里面有什么值得他们袭击的？”

在今年的朝觐期间，沙特国防部发布了一段视频，展示了部署在麦加郊外的先进防空炮台。

由 57 个穆斯林国家组成的伊斯兰合作组织谴责了这些“令人发指的袭击”，而阿拉伯联盟秘书长纳比勒·法赫米则称其为“极其严重的事件”。

土耳其外交部强烈谴责了此次袭击。埃及、黎巴嫩、叙利亚和巴基斯坦政府也对此表示愤慨。

自 2022 年以来，也门内战基本处于停滞状态，但今年 7 月，控制着北部大片地区的胡塞武装对政府军发动大规模进攻，战斗再次爆发。

据联合国称，阿拉伯半岛最贫穷国家的冲突已迫使超过 10 万人逃离家园。

也门常驻联合国代表阿卜杜拉·萨阿迪表示，也门政府正在努力恢复“遍布全国每一寸土地上的国家机构”，并呼吁国际社会对胡塞武装采取行动。

边境附近发生冲突

也门政府军与胡塞武装在沙特边境附近发生冲突，法新社的画面显示，士兵们乘坐装甲车和卡车，在机枪扫射的噼啪声中穿越沙漠地形。

两名军方消息人士周三告诉法新社，政府军正在与胡塞武装争夺拉巴纳特营地的控制权，理论上，攻占该营地将扫清通往 50 公里外焦夫省首府哈兹姆的道路。

由于胡塞武装在红海袭击沙特船只，沙特王国的实际领导人王储穆罕默德·本·萨勒曼和埃及总统阿卜杜勒·法塔赫·塞西周二呼吁在该水道上实行自由航行。该水道是通往苏伊士运河的门户，而苏伊士运河是开罗重要的收入来源。

美国媒体上周报道称，王储曾亲自向美国总统唐纳德·特朗普请求美国进行干预，但遭到拒绝。

一位美国官员周二告诉法新社，一个美国军事特遣队正在努力加强与沙特军队的情报共享和计划援助。

胡塞武装坚称，除沙特船只外，曼德海峡航行不受任何威胁，但任何在该水道发生的袭击都可能降低其对航运公司的吸引力。——法新社

美国禁止巴勒斯坦总理马哈茂德·阿巴斯出席在纽约举行的联合国大会。

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