Maize. The shadow of attack is looming over Mecca, the holiest city of Muslims. The security agencies of Saudi Arabia themselves are saying this. They fear that Iran-backed Houthi rebels may target this holy city. Saudi Civil Defense issued an alert for the holy city of Mecca and other areas on Thursday. Usually such warnings indicate the possible threat of a missile attack. “The warning has been issued by the 'National Early Warning Platform' to warn about the potential danger in the city of Mecca,” the agency said in a post on its official X handle.
This is the second time in less than 10 days that authorities have issued such a warning for Mecca. Separate warnings were also issued for other areas on Saudi Arabia's west coast, including the Red Sea city of Yanbu and the Taif, Jeddah and Tabuk areas. According to news agency AFP, these alerts were lifted after a few minutes. In recent weeks, such alerts have been followed by attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels (an armed group backed by Iran).
Last week, Saudi Arabia accused the Houthis of trying to target Mecca with a drone, which was shot down. Saudi Arabia said that such an attempt was made for the first time since 2017. On the other hand, the Houthi group has denied these allegations. The previous alert was issued on September 15, when Saudi Arabia's air defense system intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca. That drone could not enter the restricted airspace. A few days later, the Houthis targeted the Saudi capital Riyadh for the first time in years, further escalating tensions in the conflict.
Let us tell you that a new war is going on between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, which is taking place amid the ongoing tension between Tehran and America. The conflict began when the armed group announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and targeted its ships in the Red Sea. Earlier this month, the Houthis captured strategic coastal areas near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait after wresting the area from Saudi-backed government forces. This area is very important for Saudi Arabia's oil exports.