SRINAGAR: Saudi Civil Defence issued a warning for the holy city of Mecca and several other parts of the kingdom on Thursday amid a fresh escalation involving Yemen’s Houthis.
The agency said the National Early Warning Platform had issued an alert in Mecca City over a “potential danger”. Similar warnings were issued for Yanbu on the Red Sea coast, as well as the Taif, Jeddah and Tabuk regions. The alerts were lifted a few minutes later, according to AFP.
The warnings came as the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said its air defences had intercepted and destroyed six ballistic missiles launched by the armed group. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said the missiles were aimed at Taif and Yanbu.
“Escalations and violations by the terrorist Houthi militia will be dealt with firmly,” al-Maliki said in a series of posts on X, according to the coalition.
There was no immediate Houthi confirmation of the coalition’s account, and it was not immediately clear whether the interceptions caused any damage or casualties in Taif or Yanbu.
The Mecca warning was the latest in a series of alerts issued by Saudi authorities in recent weeks amid attacks and threats attributed by Riyadh to the Iran-backed Houthis. Last week, Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted a Houthi drone headed towards Mecca, while the group denied the allegation.
A similar warning was issued on September 15 after Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca, according to Saudi authorities. The drone did not enter the prohibited airspace, the authorities said.
Days later, the Houthis claimed attacks on Saudi targets, including the capital Riyadh. Saudi authorities said a ballistic missile directed towards Riyadh was intercepted, while the Houthis also claimed attacks on other locations.
The latest escalation comes amid renewed fighting between the Houthis and forces backing Yemen’s internationally recognised government. The conflict has also unfolded against a wider regional confrontation involving Iran and the United States.
The Houthis have intensified attacks against Saudi Arabia after declaring a maritime blockade, while fighting has also spread along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. The group has recently captured strategic coastal territory, including areas near the Bab al-Mandab strait, according to recent reports.
Saudi Arabia has led a coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognised government since 2015 in its conflict with the Houthis.
