The Ansar Allah Houthi group in Yemen announced, on Wednesday, the downing of a Saudi fighter plane, claiming that it had been targeted with locally manufactured ammunition, at a time when the Saudi-led military coalition announced the downing of a drone launched by the Houthis that was heading towards Mecca, which the Yemeni group denied, describing it as “slanders and lies.”
Houthi spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said in a statement: “The Yemeni armed forces - with God’s help and grace - were able to shoot down a Saudi F-15 warplane while it was carrying out hostile actions in support of its military mobilizations in the airspace of Ma’rib Governorate, with a locally made surface-to-air missile.”
He also explained that the Yemeni group's forces responded to "two Saudi F-15 and Typhoon combat formations in the airspace of Ma'rib Governorate, with local missiles, [as] [these aircraft] were searching for the wreckage of the downed plane, and they were forced to retreat, thanks to God."
Saree accused Saudi Arabia of launching more than 450 air strikes this week, using F-15 and Typhoon aircraft that he said took off from the Khamis Mushait and Taif bases, targeting the governorates of Taiz, Lahj, Al-Jawf, Hajjah, Ma’rib, Saada and Al-Bayda, adding that these raids left civilians dead and wounded.
At the same time, the spokesman for the Ansar Allah Houthi group denied what he described as "slanders and lies" promoted by the ruling Saudi regime that the Houthis tried, on Tuesday, to target Mecca, the holiest place for Muslims.
He said in the statement: “There is no threat from Yemen to the holy sites. Our operations target its [Saudi regime’s] oil facilities and military bases, which are far from the holy sites.”
Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said in a statement published on the X platform: “The Royal Saudi Defense Forces were able to intercept and destroy an enemy drone launched by the terrorist Houthi militia before it entered the restricted airspace of the holy capital, Mecca.”
He added: "This hostile and terrorist attempt is the second attempt to target Mecca after its first attempt by launching a ballistic missile" in July 2017.
He said in his statement, "This can only be described as a disgraceful act and an attempt to terrorize the peaceful guests of the Holy House of God and harm citizens and residents."
He stressed that "the security of the Two Holy Mosques and the guests of God is a red line," stressing "no hesitation in taking the necessary and deterrent measures against the terrorist Houthi militia and its hostile and terrorist behavior."
He added that this attempt will remain a "black stain" on the record of Houthi violations, as it is a deliberate act to arouse the feelings of millions of Muslims.
The attacks on Saudi Arabia led to turmoil in global energy markets, which are suffering due to the six-month-long war between the United States and Iran, which contributed to a significant slowdown in shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
On Wednesday, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemned what it described as "the sinful attacks launched by the Houthi group against the Holy City of Mecca and the Medina region, and its continued aggression against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."
She stressed that "the acts committed by the terrorist Houthi militia that affect sanctities, mosques and civilian objects constitute terrorism that is inconsistent with Islamic values and international norms, principles and laws."
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned, on Wednesday, “in the strongest possible terms” the attack on Mecca, which he described as “cowardly and heinous.”
Sharif said on the “X” platform: “The people of Pakistan feel sad and disturbed by this heinous act.”
Hizam al-Assad, a member of the Houthi political bureau, had previously denied the coalition announcement, describing the Saudi narrative as a “lie.”
He wrote in a post on the
Saudi Arabia had issued weather warnings in the governorates of Jeddah and Taif, and also in the city of Mecca for the first time since the outbreak of the war, before quickly lifting them.
Similar warnings were also issued in the evening in Khamis Mushait Governorate, the city of Abha, and the Jazan region, and their lifting was announced minutes later.
On Tuesday, the United States Embassy in Saudi Arabia issued a warning recommending that American citizens “reconsider travel” to the Kingdom after Riyadh issued weather warnings in Mecca and other regions in light of Houthi rebel attacks.
The embassy statement warned of “the danger of targeting American interests with Iranian drones and missiles, of armed conflict, terrorism, travel bans, and local laws related to activity on social media,” adding, “Do not travel to the border with Yemen because of the terrorist threat.”
It is worth noting that Yemen returned to the forefront of regional escalation in July, with the renewed confrontation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia in the wake of the war between the United States and Iran.
The Houthis are launching attacks on Saudi Arabia, especially targeting oil and military facilities in the south of the Kingdom. They say that Riyadh is launching intensive raids on areas under their control.
Last week, the Houthis expanded their areas of control, following a rapid and large-scale attack, as they took control of the entire western coast, all the way to Bab al-Mandab, which connects the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, and then Asia to Europe via the vital Suez Canal to Egypt.
On the other hand, Yahya Saree, the military spokesman for the Houthis, said that the Saudi Air Force “launched 52 air strikes during the past 24 hours” on the governorates of Taiz, Al-Jawf, Al-Bayda, Saada and Amran, stressing that “the brutal Saudi attacks will not go unanswered.”
The Houthis announced several major attacks on Saudi Arabia over the past week, and they also launched an attack on an air base on Monday, which they said was in response to air strikes on Yemen.
Saudi Arabia has been leading a coalition that has been fighting the Houthis since 2015. The conflict had declined to a large extent under the ceasefire in the past few years, but it reignited when the Houthis were able this month to repel forces loyal to the Yemeni government.
