Saudi-led coalition says it destroyed Houthi drone near Makkah

Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Makkah before it could enter restricted airspace around the holy city, the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen claimed on Wednesday.

Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki said the drone was brought down on Tuesday evening. He described the incident as the second reported attempt by the Houthis to target Makkah, following a ballistic missile launch in 2017.

The incident comes after a series of Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia over the past week, drawing Riyadh further into the renewed conflict in Yemen.

“Makkah’s security is a red line,” al-Malki said, according to the coalition statement.

Houthi officials have rejected the allegation that the group targeted Makkah. Mohammed al-Farah, a member of the Houthi political bureau, said the claim was false, according to the group’s SABA news agency.

Saudi authorities issued security alerts for Makkah on Tuesday as tensions escalated.

The latest attacks are adding pressure to regional energy markets already disrupted by the broader conflict between the United States and Iran, which has sharply reduced shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthis have also made territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast near the Bab el-Mandeb, a key global shipping route. Their position there could further complicate Saudi Arabia’s efforts to export oil through alternative routes while traffic through Hormuz remains severely disrupted.

The Houthis have claimed responsibility for several attacks on Saudi targets in recent days, including a strike on a military airbase on Monday. The group said the operation was retaliation for Saudi airstrikes in Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition said 13 civilians were wounded in that attack.

Separately, Riyadh has blamed an Iran-aligned Iraqi group for a Friday attack that disabled the East-West Pipeline, a major route for transporting Saudi crude from the Gulf to the Red Sea.

The 1,200-km pipeline was built to provide an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. Traders have warned that an extended shutdown could remove as much as 4% of global oil supply from the market.

Saudi authorities have not said when the pipeline will resume operations.

But U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC on Tuesday that crude oil should be flowing through the pipeline within days.

Saudi Arabia has led a coalition battling the Houthis since 2015. The conflict had largely quietened under a ceasefire in recent years, but reignited when the Houthis pushed back forces aligned with the Yemeni government this month.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman phoned U.S. President Donald Trump last week seeking military support, which so far has been limited to intelligence aid.