{"id":141593,"date":"2026-09-16T06:32:51","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T06:32:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/?p=141593"},"modified":"2026-09-16T06:32:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T06:32:53","slug":"saudi-arabia-intercepts-houthi-drone-near-mecca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/141593\/","title":{"rendered":"Saudi Arabia intercepts Houthi drone near Mecca"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) \u2013<\/strong> Saudi Arabia\u2019s air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered the holy city\u2019s restricted airspace, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki said that the drone was intercepted on Tuesday evening and described the security of Islam\u2019s holy sites and the safety of pilgrims as a \u201cred line.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Houthis denied targeting Mecca. Mohammed al-Farah, a member of the group\u2019s political bureau, called the Saudi allegation \u201can outright lie,\u201d according to the Houthi-run SABA news agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to al-Malki, the incident marked the second reported attempt by the Houthis to target Mecca, following a ballistic missile launch in July 2017 that Saudi Arabia said was aimed at the holy city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The incident comes amid a sharp escalation in attacks involving Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis, after fighting in Yemen intensified in recent weeks. The Houthis claimed several attacks on Saudi targets, including a strike on an air base that Saudi-led coalition officials said wounded 13 civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The escalation is also adding pressure to regional energy and shipping routes. Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut its 1,200-kilometer East-West oil pipeline after a drone attack, disrupting an important alternative route for exports as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains heavily restricted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pipeline carries roughly 4 percent of global oil supply, according to Reuters, while US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Tuesday that operations could resume within days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>By Jwan Shekaki<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) \u2013 Saudi Arabia\u2019s air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered the holy city\u2019s restricted airspace, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said on Wednesday. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki said that the drone was intercepted on Tuesday evening and described the security [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":141594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[39,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-141593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-middle-east"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Saudi Arabia intercepts Houthi drone near Mecca<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) \u2013 Saudi Arabia\u2019s air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered the holy city\u2019s\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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