The Saudi Crown Prince receives a message from the Jordanian King addressing the Houthi targeting of Mecca

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, received a written message from Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein, relating to bilateral relations between the two countries.

The message was received by Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Rasi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Multiple International Affairs and General Supervisor of the Ministry’s Agency for Economic and Development Affairs, during his meeting in Riyadh, on Wednesday, with Dr. Haitham Abu Al-Foul, Jordanian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

The two sides reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries, and also discussed issues of common interest.

The Houthi targeting of Mecca, on Tuesday, with a drone, was not the first of its kind. Rather, it was an extension of a previous targeting with a ballistic missile, in July 2017, according to the official spokesman for the coalition forces, Major General Turki Al-Maliki. However, the coalition firmly affirmed that “the security of the Two Holy Mosques and the guests of God is a red line, and that the leadership of the joint forces of the coalition will not hesitate to take the necessary and deterrent measures against the terrorist Houthi militia and its hostile behavior.” And the terrorist.”

By targeting Mecca, with a drone that was intercepted and destroyed by the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces, south of the city of Mecca, the Houthis added a new violation of Islamic holy sites and places of worship, following the targeting of a mosque in the Tuwal Governorate in the city of Jazan, on Saturday, in addition to a targeting that came from the Iraqi territory of Medina. This reveals behavior followed by the militias, and was confirmed in the coalition statement. “This can only be described as a disgraceful act, in an attempt to target the place of revelation, the land of the message, and the heart of the hearts of millions of Muslims from various countries, and an attempt to terrorize the safe guests of the Holy House of God, and harm citizens and residents. This hostile attempt will also remain a black stain on the record of violations by the extremist terrorist Houthi militias, as it is a deliberate act to arouse the feelings of millions of Muslims.”

The condemnation of the Saudi Foreign Ministry, in addition to the broad solidarity shown by several Arab and Islamic countries, and a number of countries in the region and the world, reflected the heinous behavior of the Houthis, in addition to praising the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces and their interception of the enemy drone before it entered the prohibited airspace of the holy capital, Mecca.

Violation of international law

According to the Rome Statute of the Criminal Court, it is prohibited to intentionally target mosques and places of worship, as long as they are not military targets, and this is considered a war crime in international and non-international conflicts, during armed conflict. Places of worship of cultural or spiritual importance also enjoy additional protection under Article 53 of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions⁠ and Article 16 of the Second Additional Protocol⁠ In addition, Rule 38 of customary international humanitarian law⁠ emphasizes the necessity of avoiding damage to buildings. Designated for religious purposes.

As a result, deliberate attacks on mosques and places of worship during armed conflicts constitute a violation of international humanitarian law and may amount to a war crime whenever the facility is not a military target.

Targeting the security of the region

Former Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs of the League of Arab States, Dr. Khaled Al-Habbas, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the targeting of the Kingdom by pro-Iranian militias confirms the functional role of these militias, and that they are arms driven by the Revolutionary Guard with the aim of destabilizing security and stability in the region, adding that by virtue of the status and influence it enjoys regionally and internationally, in addition to its spiritual and economic status, and the fact that it constitutes the depth of the Gulf states and the heart of the Arab and Islamic world, Iran sought through Its arms in the region aim to target the Kingdom, which is, in fact, targeting security and stability in the entire region. Rather, it is targeting regional and international security as well, as he described it.

Aggression against the Islamic world

Al-Habas stressed that this escalation comes in light of the decline in Iran’s regional role, including the decline in its ability to control the Strait of Hormuz. The behavior of its arms and its aggression against the Kingdom was considered an indication of its immorality, its lack of respect for the foundations of good neighborliness, and its lack of respect for the principles of international law and the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. Al-Habas added that the aggression against the holy places constitutes a serious violation of the sanctity of these places, and a blatant aggression against all Islamic countries, and requires condemnation and confrontation.

He continued: “Despite the Kingdom’s consistent approach based on reducing the escalation and supporting the political settlement, it certainly has the right to defend its security and stability, and the Arab and Islamic countries must also stand up to the arrogance and aggression of Iran and its arms,” calling at the same time on the international community to take a firm stance against the aggression of these militias, “since regional security is an integral part of international security, by virtue of the region’s geostrategic and economic importance.”

In turn, political analyst Abdul Latif Al-Mulhim described these types of attacks as a continuation of the Houthi militia’s systematic hostile approach, and its attacks targeting residential sites and vital facilities, in blatant defiance of all international and humanitarian laws and conventions. It also embodies its extremist criminal behavior that rejects all peace efforts, and constitutes a threat to regional and international security and stability.

The international community fulfills its responsibilities

Al-Habas and Melhem agree that the coincidence of these attacks with the militia’s control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the imposition of a ban on maritime traffic provides the world and society with a conclusive picture of the behavior expected from this group, if it continues to persist in these practices, and portends an imminent danger to the security and economic future of the region, if the international community delays in carrying out its responsibilities in combating the criminality of this group.