Saudi Arabia’s air defences destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said on Wednesday (September 16, 2026), as fighting spreads in West Asia.
The drone, intercepted on Tuesday evening (September 15, 2026), was the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca after a ballistic missile launch in July 2017, spokesperson Turki al-Malki said in a statement, and follows a week of attacks from Iran-aligned Houthi fighters that have drawn Saudi Arabia deeper into the war. The Houthis have announced several major attacks on Saudi Arabia over the past week, including attacks on an air base on Monday (September 14, 2026), which they said were in retaliation for airstrikes on Yemen. The air base attack wounded 13 civilians, Saudi-led military coalition officials said.
Mecca is home to some of the holiest sites in Islam and the focal point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, and its security was a “red line”, the coalition spokesperson al-Malki said in the statement. Saudi Arabia has not said when operations might resume.
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.
Saudi Arabia has led a coalition battling the Houthis since 2015. Earlier reporting noted: The drone, intercepted on Tuesday evening, was the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca after a ballistic missile launch in July 2017, spokesperson Turki al-Malki said in a statement, as reported by news agency Reuters.
