Riyadh: Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered the prohibited airspace of the holy city, the Saudi-led coalition said.
Coalition 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.
An official from the Houthis rejected the allegation Wednesday.
“The claims about targeting Mecca are a worn-out lie that has been used before and no longer fools anyone,” Hazem al-Assad wrote on X.
Meanwhile, Houthis said on Tuesday that Saudi warplanes had carried out 52 airstrikes across five provinces over the past 24 hours, as cross-border hostilities between the two sides continued to escalate.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement posted on social media platform X that F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets carried out the strikes after taking off from air bases in the southwestern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait and the western city of Taif.
Sarea said the strikes hit the southwestern province of Taiz, northern Al-Jawf, central Al-Bayda, and the northern provinces of Saada and Amran. He alleged that schools, bridges, roads and other civilian infrastructure were among the targets.
Sarea said the strikes “will not go unanswered,” suggesting further Houthi retaliation against Saudi Arabia.
There was no immediate comment from Saudi authorities on the Houthi claims.
Separately, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV said Tuesday that 3 civilians, including 2 children, were killed and 2 others wounded in airstrikes on the Dhubab and Maqbanah districts of Taiz province.
The broadcaster also reported further strikes Tuesday on a government complex in Khadir district, southeast of Taiz province, saying there were casualties without providing further details.
The strikes followed Houthi missile and drone attacks on Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif on Monday, which the Saudi-led coalition said injured 13 civilians. The coalition vowed a “responsible and firm” response.
The cross-border escalation comes amid a Houthi offensive launched September 3 that has shifted front lines along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. The group captured the strategic port city of Mocha September 10 before advancing into the Bab al-Mandab area and seizing Mayun Island at the heart of the strait September 11.
Yemen’s conflict erupted in late 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government.
IANS
