King Salman denounces Houthi attacks on Mecca as terrorist aggression

In a rare public intervention, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud described the Houthi movement as a terrorist militia and accused it of repeatedly aiming attacks at Mecca, labeling the attempts a provocation against Muslims worldwide. The Saudi Press Agency reported that Saudi forces intercepted a drone the Houthis allegedly launched toward the holy city, a charge the group’s leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi dismissed as a lie.

This was the first activation of Mecca’s security alert in almost ten years. The king also commended the military and security services for defending the homeland and safeguarding pilgrims, while noting a recent missile interception over Riyadh that produced a plume of smoke at King Khalid International Airport. He referenced recent diplomatic talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo and French President Emmanuel Macron on regional stability and maritime security. The escalation comes amid a broader surge in Houthi missile and drone strikes on Saudi cities, energy infrastructure and shipping, and follows the signing of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement with Turkiye and Pakistan.