Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca on Tuesday evening, according to the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, Turki al-Maliki. He described the alleged targeting of Mecca, Islam's most sacred shrine, as a "disgraceful act".
The 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation stated that attacks on Mecca and Medina province constituted an "unacceptable and intolerable transgression".
However, the Houthis, an Iran-backed armed group, denied targeting Mecca, calling the Saudi claims "fabrications and lies". Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said their operations target Saudi oil facilities and military bases, not holy sites. He added that the Houthis launched drones and missiles in retaliation for over 450 Saudi air strikes on their territory in the past week.
The US embassy in Saudi Arabia has issued a "reconsider travel" advisory, warning that Houthi attacks have targeted cities, infrastructure, airports, military bases, diplomatic facilities, and energy facilities.