Riyadh, 17 September 2026: Saudi Arabia's concern has increased significantly after Yemen's Houthi rebels attempted a drone attack on Mecca, the holiest city of Islam. Saudi forces have claimed to destroy the drone coming towards Mecca in the air. However, due to continuous missile and drone attacks from Houthis, the quantity of defense missiles with Saudi Arabia is decreasing, due to which it has sought help from 4 friendly countries to strengthen its air defense security.
According to regional officials, due to the long-running conflict, Saudi Arabia's stock of anti-missile weapons has reduced. Therefore, the Saudi government has appealed to France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt (Egypt) to send immediate military assistance and security equipment to strengthen its air defense coverage. America, the main arms supplier to Saudi Arabia, itself is facing shortage of missile stock due to the conflict with Iran, due to which Saudi has had to look towards other countries.
According to security officials, an attempt was made to carry out a drone attack on the city of Mecca, located about 1100 kilometers from the Yemen border. The Saudi government has made it clear that Mecca is their 'red line' and it will be protected by anyone. On the other hand, Houthi rebels have rejected the claim of attacking Mecca.
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attitude of America and Pakistan
Strongly condemning the attempted attack on Mecca, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif had said that Pakistan is ready to stand face to face with Saudi Arabia in this difficult time. On the other hand, despite America selling arms worth billions of dollars to Saudi Arabia, it seems to be moving away from this direct military conflict. In this situation, it has become a big challenge for Saudi Arabia to protect its military bases, government offices and important oil refineries.