Missile Attack on Mecca? Saudi Arabia and Houthis at Odds

[Global Times Comprehensive Report] Reuters reported on the 12th that on the 11th local time, Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led multinational coalition, stated on social media that Saudi air defense forces intercepted and destroyed three cruise missiles launched by the Houthi armed group towards the Riyadh area, and intercepted and destroyed two Houthi drones in the Mecca region and southern Saudi Arabia. The report noted that Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni Houthi armed group continue to strike each other, with the conflict escalating.

According to Saudi state television, the missile debris landed in the village of Sabha (approximately 35 kilometers northeast of the Grand Mosque in Mecca) and in the Magmasqan Valley (about 21 kilometers east of the Grand Mosque). Saudi Arabia accused the Houthi armed group of targeting the two holiest cities in Islam, Mecca and Medina, but the Houthi armed group has repeatedly denied this, stating that its military actions are aimed at other military and strategic targets within Saudi Arabia. The Saudi civil defense department stated early on the 12th: "This hostile act targeting civilian objectives is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and reflects the dangerous hostile behavior of the Houthi armed group."

Mecca is a sacred place in the hearts of Muslims worldwide and is the core location for the annual pilgrimage. Millions of Muslims travel to Mecca for the pilgrimage each year, making its strategic and religious status extremely sensitive.

Additionally, reports indicate that on the 11th, the Yemeni Houthi armed group claimed to have launched three cruise missiles at King Khalid International Airport located in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and used drones to attack a oil pumping station in western Saudi Arabia, with both operations being successful.

The military spokesperson for the Houthi armed group, Yahya Saree, stated on social media that the organization used three cruise missiles to attack King Khalid International Airport, and another drone attacked the No. 11 oil pumping station in the Yanbu area, an important oil hub along the Saudi Red Sea coast.

However, Saree denied that the multinational coalition intercepted Houthi drones over Mecca, calling this claim pure fabrication. He stated that the Houthi armed group's military actions are aimed at Saudi oil facilities and military bases, not at Islamic holy sites. (Yuwen)