Politics
Iran-Backed Rebels Launch Attack On Mecca, Shoot Down Saudi Jet
Iran-backed Houthi rebels were accused of launching a drone toward Mecca as fighting across the region intensified and fears mounted over another shock to global oil supplies.
Saudi Arabia said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed the drone before it entered restricted airspace over Islam’s holiest city. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca or any religious site.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree rejected the Saudi accusation after the alleged attack drew condemnation across the Muslim world.
‘Our operations target its oil facilities and military bases, which are far removed from the sacred sites,’ he said.
Mecca is regarded as the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and is the holiest city in Islam. Millions of Muslims travel there each year for pilgrimage.
Saudi-led coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki condemned the incident and warned that attacks near the holy city would not be tolerated.
‘This hostile attempt will also remain a black mark in the record of violations by the extremist terrorist Houthi militia, as a deliberate act intended to provoke the feelings of millions of Muslims.’
He vowed to take any ‘necessary and deterrent measures’ against the group.
The confrontation escalated again Wednesday when the Houthis claimed they had shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Yemen.
‘The Yemeni Armed Forces, with Allah’s aid and grace, succeeded in shooting down a Saudi F15 fighter jet while it was carrying out hostile operations in support of its military mobilisations in the airspace of Marib province,’ Saree said on social media, while accusing Saudi Arabia of launching 450 strikes.
He said the jet had been targeted ‘using a locally made air-to-air missile’.
HOUTHIES ATTACK THE CITY OF MECCA 🕋
As a religious person I am shocked and horrified by the targeting of the city of Mecca 🇸🇦 by the Ayatollahs of Iran and their Houthie proxy.
This heinous attack must be condemned as should the missiles the Islamic Republic of Iran fired at… pic.twitter.com/35W7p3yiOz
— Rabbi Poupko (@RabbiPoupko) September 16, 2026
The Saudi government had not independently confirmed the loss of the fighter jet at the time of the report, and the Houthi claim had not been independently verified.
The fighting comes as the rebels tighten their grip on key territory surrounding the Red Sea.
The Houthis recently seized the strategic Greater and Lesser Hanish islands, placing additional pressure on shipping routes near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The waterway is one of the world’s critical maritime chokepoints, connecting the Red Sea to the open ocean and key Asian markets.
The rebels’ latest territorial gains follow their seizure of the port city of Mokha and Mayun Island, located directly inside the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Those advances have become even more significant as Saudi Arabia shifts oil exports away from the Persian Gulf amid disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz.
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Saudi Arabia has relied heavily on its East-West Pipeline, which carries crude across the country to the Red Sea port of Yanbu.
But that route was also hit in a recent attack blamed by Saudi Arabia on Iranian-backed militias.
Officials have said repairs could take three to five weeks, raising fresh concerns about the amount of Saudi oil reaching global markets.
The pressure is already showing up in energy prices.
Brent crude climbed above $106 a barrel Tuesday, while U.S. diesel prices recently crossed $6 a gallon on average as the broader Iran conflict and attacks on energy infrastructure squeezed global supply.
The Houthis have also stepped up strikes on Saudi territory.
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Saree said the group fired dozens of missiles and drones at King Khalid Airbase in Khamis Mushait, targeting hangars, radar equipment and ammunition depots.
Saudi officials said attacks in the area struck civilian locations, injuring 13 people and damaging homes and vehicles.
The conflict has also taken a growing humanitarian toll inside Yemen.
Nearly 94,000 people have fled their homes amid the latest fighting.
‘Many of them don’t have enough food or water as they had to flee with whatever they could carry. In some areas, whole villages have reportedly emptied,’ said Khanzad Shah, acting head of Islamic Relief, a charity that operates in the area.
Around 200 schools in southwestern Yemen have reportedly been converted into shelters as displaced families pour into safer areas.
The Saudi accusation involving Mecca marks one of the most serious developments yet in the renewed conflict, while the Houthis’ claim that they downed an F-15 remains unverified.
