Riyadh: Several areas on Saudi Arabia's western coast, including the holy city of Mecca and the Jeddah and Taif governorates, were briefly put on alert after Yemen's Houthis allegedly targeted the holy city, deepening the conflict roiling the region. It was the first time in history when an aerial threat alert was issued in Mecca.
The unprecedented alert was triggered after the kingdom was repeatedly targeted by the Iran-backed Houthis in recent days.
Mecca Put On Air Raid Alert For 1st Time, Houthis Claim They Shot Down Saudi Jet. The Saudi civil defence had earlier issued short-lived air-raid alerts in six regions.
The unprecedented alert was triggered after the kingdom's air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered the prohibited airspace.
Fresh fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has dragged in Riyadh, with the Houthis declaring a maritime blockade on the kingdom and targeting its ships in the Red Sea.
According to a report by Israeli newspaper Hayom, the air traffic bound for Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport (MED) in Medina was also halted.
The attacks came a day after the Houthis wounded 13 people in the kingdom in an assault using ballistic missiles and drones from Yemen.
The Saudi-led coalition battling Houthis -- a bloc of 57 Muslim countries -- condemned the "heinous" attack.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation spokesman Turki Al Maliki said the security of the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims is a "red line," adding that the coalition would not hesitate to take necessary measures to deter further Houthi attacks.
What Houthis Said "The Houthis swiftly rejected as a "lie" Riyadh's report that it shot down a drone from the rebels heading towards the Saudi city of Mecca, which attracts millions of pilgrims each year".
"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.
Houthis later said they shot down a Saudi fighter jet, claiming a locally made munition was used to target the warplane.
"The Yemeni Armed Forces, with Allah's aid and grace, succeeded in shooting down a Saudi F15 fighter jet while it was carrying out hostile operations in support of its military mobilisations in the airspace of Marib province," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on social media, while accusing Saudi Arabia of launching 450 strikes.
He said the jet had been targeted "using a locally made air-to-air missile".
The Houthis carried out their heaviest missile and drone attack in years this week against Saudi Arabia, setting oil sites ablaze and wounding 73.
On Monday, a Houthi strike in Western Yemen killed eight government soldiers according to two military sources.
The group also claimed a new large-scale attack using "dozens of ballistic missiles and drones" against King Khalid airbase in Khamis Mushait, in southern Saudi Arabia.
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.
Fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces flared up again in July, following the group's declaration of a naval blockade against Riyadh and subsequent attacks on its shipping vessels in the Red Sea.
Hazem al-Assad from the Houthis' politburo said the "Yemeni response will continue and escalate as long as they (Saudi Arabia) persist in their aggression against our people".
On Tuesday, Qatar warned of dire consequences if Bab al-Mandab was closed.
Foreign ministry official Ibrahim Al Hashmi said shutting the strait would be "catastrophic for the entire world".
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has rejected a request from the Saudi crown prince to intervene in the war.
He claimed that on Saturday the Houthis had called Washington and asked the US to not get involved.
Now, the lightning advances of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels threatening a crucial Red Sea route has forced the Kingdom's leadership to assess its dwindling options on how to respond.
