Saudi Arabia has said that a drone launched by the Houthis towards Mecca has been intercepted and destroyed, in an escalation that could threaten the holy city.

The Saudi-led coalition spokesperson, Turki al-Maliki, said Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces intercepted the hostile drone before it entered the restricted airspace on Tuesday evening.

Al-Maliki condemned the incident as an attempt to frighten worshippers and harm civilians, warning that the security of the two holy mosques and pilgrims is a “red line”.

The Houthis have previously denied targeting Mecca, saying that they do not target holy sites.

Security alerts

Saudi Arabia issued a security alert on Tuesday in the holy city of Mecca for the first time since the Houthis last attempted to target the sacred area in 2017.

The alert of potential danger in Mecca was swiftly lifted after a few minutes. The same alert was activated for Taif and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s second-largest city.

In a statement to Yemen’s SABA news agency on Tuesday, a Houthi military source strongly rejected the claim that Houthi forces pose a threat to the city of Mecca or other Islamic holy sites.

“We categorically deny that there is any threat from Yemen directed at the city of Mecca or any other holy sites,” the source said, condemning what he described as “misinformation”.

The latest attacks mark a sharp resurgence in a conflict dating to 2015, when Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen after the Houthis seized Sanaa and ousted the internationally recognised government.

A UN-brokered truce in April 2022 largely halted Houthi attacks on Saudi territory, but hostilities have escalated again since the group declared a blockade on Saudi shipping in July and gained control of critical nodes on the country’s Bab al-Mandeb coastline.

In early September, the Iran-aligned group launched missiles and drones at sites across Saudi Arabia, marking a drastic escalation in the fighting. Riyadh has accused the Houthi rebels of launching attacks on civilian and economic sites in the kingdom.

The Saudi-led coalition said it will respond “firmly” to Houthi strikes on urban areas that injured 13 people in the Saudi cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif on Tuesday.

Why is the alert on Mecca significant?

This was the first time in nearly a decade that a security alert had been activated in Mecca.

Mecca is home to the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site. Two billion Muslims around the world face the Kaaba during their daily prayers.

This year, Saudi Arabia welcomed around 1.7 million Muslims for the Hajj season in late May, while the country was vulnerable to direct strikes.

Hajj is considered one of the five pillars of Islam, necessary for Muslims to fulfil once in their lifetime.

Throughout the year, millions of pilgrims travel to Mecca to perform the optional Umrah pilgrimage.

Last autumn, Mecca welcomed more than 11.7 million pilgrims for Umrah between September and October 2025.

Hajj has only been restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when Saudi Arabia barred foreign Muslims from performing the pilgrimage to help prevent the spread of the virus.

It remains to be seen if the attacks on Saudi Arabia will affect pilgrimage to Mecca. (Al Jazeera)

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At least three seafarers have been killed in a Houthi missile attack on a merchant ship with a crew of 20 members, including Sri Lankans, in the Gulf of Aden, it was reported.

According to foreign media, two Sri Lankan and one Nepalese armed guards were also reported to be on board the vessel. 

Al Jazeera reported that the Iran-aligned Yemeni group claimed responsibility for the attack on Wednesday, which set the Liberian-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence ablaze approximately 50 nautical miles (93km) off the coast of Yemen’s port of Aden.

The US military’s Central Command reported “three fatalities, at least four injuries, of which three are in critical condition” as well as “significant damage to the ship”.

Two aerial photos released by the US military showed the ship’s bridge and cargo on board ablaze.

The attack marks the first fatalities reported since the Iran-aligned Yemeni group began attacks against shipping in one of the world’s busiest sea lanes over Israel’s war on Gaza. (NewsWire)

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A Sri Lanka Navy warship is ready to depart to join the fight to protect the international sea lanes from the Yemen-backed Houthi rebels, Navy Media Spokesman Captain Gayan Wickramasuriya said. 

Speaking to NewsWire, Captain Wickramasuriya said the ship is to be deployed to protect the international waters covering the Red Sea, Arabic Sea, Gulf of Aden, and adjacent sea lanes used by merchant vessels. 

He further said that the Sri Lanka Navy warship is being deployed as per the presidential order, but an exact date of deployment is yet to be confirmed. 

Captain Wickramasuriya went on to say that initially one ship would be deployed as part of the Operation Prosperity Guardians, the Naval operation underway at the Red Sea and adjoining trade routes. 

“Discussions will be held and based on the warship’s capability it will be deployed to any one of the sea lanes requiring protection from the Houthi rebels,” he said. 

Captain Wickramasuriya also stated that the deployment of more ships or swapping of ships will take place based on the current requirements and economic situation of Sri Lanka, and a discussion on the matter. 

Stating that there is no additional cost for the deployment of the warship, he said the cost depends on the operation and is similar to the cost borne by Navy vessels engaged in drug prevention raids in the international waters of Southern Sri Lanka. 

Last week, President Ranil Wickremesinghe announced that Sri Lanka has decided to deploy a Navy Vessel at the Red Sea to prevent Houthi Rebels from attacking ships, blocking trade along the sea route. 

Addressing an event in Colombo on Wednesday (Jan 03), the President said Sri Lanka will deploy the Navy vessel at the Red Sea for a cost of Rs. 250 million every fortnight. 

Pointing out that prices of goods may increase due to the various wars underway, especially in Ukraine and Palestine, the President said ships have also stopped using the Red Sea route due to continuous attacks by the Houthi Rebels and the rerouting of these ships around South Africa will also indirectly increase prices of goods. 

According to foreign media, the Yemen-based militants have carried out at least 23 attacks in response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza since Dec. 19.

The Iranian-backed Houthis have vowed to continue targeting vessels they consider linked to Israel and the situation in the strategically vital southern Red Sea is now at a stand-off. 

The Bab al-Mandab strait is a critical waterway through which almost 15% of global trade passes. If attacks continue, the fear is that fuel prices will rise and supply chains will be damaged. (NewsWire)

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