Saudi Arabia shot down a UAV directed towards Mecca

The coalition led by Saudi Arabia announced that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), reportedly sent towards Mecca by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, was intercepted and destroyed by Saudi air defense systems.

Coalition Spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said that the UAV was shot down south of Mecca on Tuesday evening, before entering the city's restricted airspace.

Saudi officials claimed that the incident was the Houthis' second attempt to target Mecca. Riyadh had previously announced that the Houthis had launched a ballistic missile towards the holy city in July 2017.

The coalition stated that the security of the holy places in Mecca and Medina, as well as pilgrims and Umrah visitors, is a "red line" and announced that "necessary and deterrent measures" will be taken against the Houthis.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also condemned the incident and announced its support to Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis denied the accusation that they were targeting Mecca. Hazem al-Assad, from the Houthis' political office, described Riyadh's statement as "a lie that has been used before."

With tensions rising, the US State Department also updated its travel warning for Saudi Arabia.

Continuing its current level 3 "reconsider your travel" warning for Saudi Arabia, Washington cited local laws regarding UAV and missile attacks originating from Iran, armed conflict, terrorist threats, bans on leaving the country and social media activities.

For the Yemen border, the highest level, level 4 "do not travel" warning remains valid.

The reignited conflict in Yemen has entered a new phase as the Houthis launched a large-scale offensive against Saudi Arabia-backed Yemeni government forces.

While the Houthis have recently expanded their control area on Yemen's Red Sea coast, they have also strengthened their presence around the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, is one of the most important transit points of global maritime trade and energy shipment.

The group also targeted the oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, while declaring a naval blockade of Saudi ships. Riyadh, on the other hand, intensified air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

Yahya Seri, the military spokesman of the Houthis, claimed that Saudi Arabia launched 52 air strikes on Yemen in 24 hours and claimed that civilian points, including schools and bridges, were hit.

Riyadh, on the other hand, states that it carries out its operations for the purpose of defense and deterrence against Houthi attacks.