Saudi Arabia activates Mecca warning system amid Houthi threat

The Saudi Civil Defence on Tuesday issued alerts in several cities of the country's western coast, including the holy city of Mecca and in the Jeddah and Taif governorates but were quickly lifted. The aerial threat alert has been issued in Mecca for the first time in history. The unprecedented alert was triggered after the kingdom was repeatedly targeted by the Iran-backed Houthis in recent days. Saudi Arabia has said that a drone launched by the Houthis towards Mecca has been intercepted and destroyed, in an escalation that could threaten the holy city. The Saudi-led coalition spokesperson, Turki al-Maliki, said Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces intercepted the hostile drone before it entered the restricted airspace on Tuesday evening. Saudi Arabia issued a security alert on Tuesday in the holy city of Mecca for the first time since the Houthis last attempted to target the sacred area in 2017. Mecca is home to the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site. Two billion Muslims around the world face the Kaaba during their daily prayers.

Alert: The danger has passed in Mecca City. For your safety, continue following #CivilDefense instructions and avoid gathering and filming. In case of emergency, call (911). pic.twitter.com/bjRMKf7vr6

— الدفاع المدني السعودي (@SaudiDCD) September 15, 2026

A Houthi official has rejected the Saudi-led coalition's report that it had shot down a drone from the rebels heading towards Mecca, the holiest city in Islam. "The claims about targeting Mecca are a worn-out lie that has been used before and no longer fools anyone," Hazem al-Assad from the Houthis' politburo wrote on X. The Houthis carried out their heaviest missile and drone attack in years this week against Saudi Arabia, setting oil sites ablaze and wounding 73. The Houthis have been engaged in fighting with Saudi-backed government forces since Yemen's civil war reignited in July, when the group declared a maritime blockade on Riyadh and began targeting its ships in the Red Sea.