Saudi Arabia has reported three Houthi attempts to target the holy cities of Mecca and Medina over the past nine years, including two incidents in September, drawing condemnation from Arab and Muslim countries.
The Yemeni group has denied some of the accusations.
According to an Anadolu review of official Saudi statements, the latest alleged attacks targeted Medina and an area south of Mecca, while the first reported attempt occurred in July 2017.
Mecca and Medina are home to Islam’s holiest sites, the Grand Mosque and the Kaaba in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.
Saudi Arabia has led a coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government against the Houthis since March 2015. The Yemeni group has controlled the capital Sanaa and several provinces since September 2014.
Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia intensified in September after the group announced what it called a “maritime blockade” on the kingdom in July and later claimed ballistic missile and drone attacks on Saudi sites and vessels.
Two incidents in September 2026
On Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition said a drone attack it attributed to the Houthis had targeted a power station in Medina.
Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al Maliki said the attack occurred early on Tuesday and knocked a transformer out of service without affecting the electricity grid.
Maliki accused the Houthis of targeting civilian infrastructure providing electricity services to the Prophet’s Mosque, describing the incident as an “extension of this extremist militia’s approach in attempts to target the Two Holy Mosques.”
“Investigation findings, operational data and examination of debris from the drone used in the attack proved the Houthi militia’s involvement in planning and carrying out this act,” he said.
The coalition would continue taking measures to deter the Houthis and protect the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims in Mecca and Medina, he added.
On September 16, Maliki said Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered the city’s restricted airspace.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said at the time that it was the second alleged Houthi attempt to target Mecca after an earlier incident in July 2017.
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz condemned the Houthis’ attempt to again target Mecca, saying the incident had drawn international condemnation because violating the sanctity of holy sites provoked the feelings of Muslims around the world.
Abdul Mohsen al Qasim, an imam at the Prophet’s Mosque, also said during a Friday sermon that attacking Mecca and Medina was “a grave offence before God.”
2017 allegation
On July 27 2017, the Saudi-led coalition announced that it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis towards Mecca over Taif province, around 69 kilometres from the holy city, without causing damage.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry accused the Houthis at the time of violating the sanctity of Mecca in “a desperate attempt to disrupt the Hajj season.”
The Houthis did not immediately deny the latest accusation involving Medina.
The group, however, swiftly rejected the Saudi accusation concerning the September 16 incident near Mecca.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al Houthi and Hizam al Assad, a member of the group’s political bureau, denied the allegation.
The Houthis also rejected the July 2017 accusation, saying their missile forces had targeted only the Taif military base and had not targeted Mecca.
Saudi announcements concerning the alleged attempts to target Mecca in July 2017 and September 2026 prompted condemnation from a number of Arab and Muslim countries and organisations.
The statements condemning the Houthis were issued by Türkiye, Qatar, Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates and Somalia.
The Gulf Cooperation Council, Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation also issued condemnations, with several statements warning that attacks involving Mecca would offend Muslims around the world.
