The Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen has claimed responsibility for shooting down a Saudi fighter jet, while Saudi Arabia accused the militia of launching a drone towards the vicinity of the Muslim holy city of Mecca.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Wednesday that the group had brought down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Yemeni territory using a locally manufactured missile.
The claim came shortly after Saudi Arabia announced that its forces had intercepted a Houthi drone near Mecca.
Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen, said the drone was detected and destroyed south of Mecca on Tuesday as it approached restricted airspace over the city.
Saree rejected the allegation that the Houthis had targeted Mecca, describing the Saudi account as “fabrication and lies”.
He also insisted that there was “no threat whatsoever to the holy sites from Yemen.”
The exchange of claims comes as fighting between the Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which receives Saudi backing, has intensified in recent days.
The renewed hostilities are adding to tensions in the Middle East amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict and disruptions to regional stability.
Saudi authorities described the alleged drone incident as a serious threat because of Mecca’s religious significance.
Mecca, regarded as the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad, is Islam’s holiest city and attracts millions of Muslims from around the world each year for the annual hajj pilgrimage.
Maj. Gen. Al-Maliki said the drone represented “an attempt to terrorize the pilgrims visiting the Holy Mosque and to harm citizens and residents”.
He added that the safety of pilgrims and the protection of the Islamic holy sites remained a “red line.”
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which comprises 57 member states and presents itself as the collective voice of the Muslim world, condemned the reported drone attack as well as broader Houthi strikes against Saudi Arabia.
“These attacks instill fear in innocent civilians, violate the sanctity of holy sites and mosques, and provoke the sentiments of Muslims around the world,” the organisation said on social media on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned what he described as the apparent attack on Mecca.
He said on social media that the Pakistani people were “saddened and perturbed by this outrageous act.”
The latest developments mark a further escalation in the conflict involving the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, with both sides presenting conflicting accounts of the incidents.
