Saudi Air Defences Destroy Houthi Drone Near Mecca

Saudi Arabia says its air defences destroyed an incoming Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city.

The drone, intercepted on Tuesday, marked the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca after a ballistic missile launch in 2017, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition said, warning that the security of holy sites was a “red line”.

Saudi Arabia issued security alerts for Mecca - along with Taif and Jeddah - but Houthi political bureau member Mohammed al-Farah denied the group had targeted the holy city, calling the allegation “an outright lie”.

Hazem al-Assad, another senior member of the group, flatly denied targeting the city, writing on social media: “The claims about targeting Mecca are a worn-out lie that has been used before and no longer fools anyone.”

Mecca, home to shrines sacred to Muslims worldwide, is Islam’s holiest city and the focal point of the hajj pilgrimage, which millions of Muslims undertake each year.

The latest flare up follows a dramatic escalation in fighting between the Houthis and the coalition, after the Yemeni group seized control of parts of the Red Sea coast, threatening Saudi oil exports, and launched strikes over the border.

The Houthis have announced several major attacks on Saudi Arabia over the past week, including attacks on an air base on Monday, which they said were in retaliation for airstrikes on Yemen.

Saudi Arabia has blamed a separate pro-Iranian movement, based in Iraq, for an attack on Friday that knocked out one of the kingdom's most important oil transport routes, the East-West Pipeline across the Arabian desert.

The East-West pipeline linking Saudi Arabia’s Gulf oil fields to the Red Sea has been Riyadh’s main export route with Iran and the US disrupting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Since the pipeline was shut after Friday's attack, traders say a prolonged closure could cut off as much as 4% of global oil supply. Saudi Arabia has not said when operations might resume.

Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly asked Donald Trump for military help against the Houthis, Reuters reported last week, citing three sources familiar with the matter, but the US is yet to intervene.

While Washington has offered intelligence sharing and targeting to its ally, according to the report, president Trump did not agree to striking the Houthis yet during his phone calls with the crown prince.

Britain is meanwhile considering whether to help Saudi Arabia to help counter attacks from the Houthis amid concerns about the impact of the conflict on the economy, according to Bloomberg.

Citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, the outlet reported on Monday that prime minister Andy Burnham has received requests from Riyah for a range of diplomatic and military support, including operational support to repel the group’s push towards the Bab el-Mandeb strait.

It was unclear whether the prime minister would approve the requests, the outlet reported, adding that a spokesperson had said London would work with partners to support regional stability.