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Saudi Arabia’s air defenses downed a Houthi drone on Tuesday south of Mecca, outside the prohibited airspace over the city, Saudi-led military coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said in a statement on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
It was the second Houthi attempt to target the city after a ballistic missile launch in July 2017. Houthi officials denied responsibility for the attack, Reuters reported.
Mecca is home to the cube-shaped stone building known as the Kaaba, which is the holiest shrine in Islam.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday condemned the “heinous attacks” carried out by the Iranian-backed Houthis against the “city of Makkah and the Madinah region.”
These attacks “instill fear in innocent civilians, violate the sanctity of holy sites and mosques, and provoke the sentiment of Muslims around the world,” the organization that comprises 58 nation-states, most of which are predominantly Muslim, stated on X.
The OIC further expressed its support “for all measures taken by the [Saudi] Kingdom to deter the aggressors.”
The Saudi-led coalition is a group of nine nations from the Middle East and North Africa, led by Riyadh, which started military operations in March 2015 against the Houthi rebels in support of the recognized government of Yemen.
Also on Wednesday, the Houthis said they shot down a Saudi fighter jet, claiming a locally made munition was used to target the warplane, according to AFP.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces, with Allah’s aid and grace, succeeded in shooting down a Saudi F15 fighter jet while it was carrying out hostile operations in support of its military mobilizations in the airspace of Marib province, using a locally made air-to-air missile,” the report cited a spokesman for the Houthis as saying on social media.
The Houthi proxy group has made military strides in recent days, taking control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, AFP reported on Tuesday, citing diplomatic sources.
The Bab al-Mandeb Strait has become a crucial alternate shipping route due to ongoing Iranian attacks on ships traversing the Strait of Hormuz. A closure of the Strait off the Yemen coast could further disrupt global chain supplies, driving energy prices even higher, after crude oil prices exceeded $100 per barrel this week.
UN: Freedom of navigation must be safeguarded
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council met on Tuesday to discuss the escalating situation in the Arabian Peninsula.
“Developments around the Bab al-Mandab Strait underline the urgent need to prevent Yemen’s conflict from further threatening the security of the Red Sea and this vital international maritime route,” the Security Council’s Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari said in a statement.
“According to maritime tracking sites, commercial shipping flows through the Red Sea appear to remain unaffected for the time being,” he observed, adding that “What is needed now is sustained engagement that reduces tensions, prevents further escalation and safeguards freedom of navigation.”
He went on to say that at least 125,000 people have been displaced across Yemen since clashes resumed in September, with approximately 2,300 people fleeing to the East African country of Djibouti across the Red Sea.
As a counteroffensive, Yemen’s Government carried out “extensive air strikes” against the Houthis, with localized clashes reported across several front lines and unconfirmed estimates of hundreds of combatant casualties in recent days, Khiari added.
On Saturday, drones reportedly launched from an area inside Iraq hit Saudi Arabia’s East-West Crude Oil Pipeline that runs through the center of the country from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, causing a temporary shutdown for repairs.
Khiari stressed that the strikes interrupted the “crucial artery Saudi Arabia had been using as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.”
Consequently, Saudi has cut oil shipments to Europe, trade sources told Reuters on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia had informed European refiners that some September-loading crude cargoes will be canceled or delayed and oil loadings at the Red Sea port of Yanbu had been suspended. At least three European refiners have had late-September cargoes canceled or postponed to November, according to market sources cited by Argus.
State oil company Saudi Aramco declined to comment, according to Reuters.
US issues travel warning to Saudi Arabia
The U.S. State Department updated its Saudi Arabia travel advisory on Tuesday while maintaining its Level 3 “Reconsider Travel” warning, citing risks including Iranian drone and missile attacks on American interests, armed conflict and terrorism.
U.S. government employees are barred from traveling within 20 miles of the Yemen border or making nonessential trips to Qatif, and require special authorization to travel to the Jizan, Asir, Najran and Qatif provinces.
The travel warning comes after Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense issued an emergency warning for Mecca on Tuesday over a “potential danger.” Similar alerts were issued for Jeddah, Taif, Yanbu, Abha, Jazan and AlUla. Authorities later gave the all-clear in Mecca and the other locations.
Report: Jerusalem, Riyadh launch security dialogue
Jerusalem is monitoring the situation in the Arabian Peninsula closely, Israel’s Channel 12 broadcaster reported.
Israel’s defense establishment is reportedly “concerned” over Washington’s refusal to get militarily involved in the situation in Yemen.
A channel for direct security discussions has been opened between Israel and Saudi Arabia following the latter’s request for assistance, the report added, without specifying further details.
The Saudis are likely to step up airstrikes against the Houthis with the help of U.S. intelligence in an effort to thwart the advancement of the proxy group toward the port city of Aden in southwest Yemen, the report continued.
Meanwhile in Cairo, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met on Tuesday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
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The crown prince said in a statement that they both confirmed “their shared commitment to ensuring freedom and security of maritime navigation” in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to the Associated Press.
El-Sissi’s office put out a statement expressing “Egypt’s unwavering position in supporting Saudi Arabia.”
Egypt relies heavily on maritime transit through the Red Sea. A closure or disruption to the free navigation of commercial vessels in the region would be a blow to its fragile economy.
On the previous day, bin Salman met with U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper in Jeddah, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said. The two discussed bilateral relations and regional developments.
English (US)