Saudi coalition says Houthi drone destroyed near Mecca

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.

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.

Houthi officials ⁠have denied targeting Mecca.