Residents were told to move indoors to safe places and stay away from windows and doors until the threat had passed. Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense issued an emergency alert for a potential hostile aerial attack on Mecca, the first such warning ever given in the Islamic holy city. Parallel alerts were sent for Jeddah and Taif.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly condemned what it called the Houthis’ “heinous attacks” targeting Mecca and the Medina region. It said the strikes endangered civilians, violated the sanctity of holy sites and mosques, and provoked Muslims worldwide. Saudi-led coalition forces said that their air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca, stopping it from entering the restricted airspace over the holy city.
Houthis refuted allegation A Houthi official denied the allegation on Wednesday.
Yemen’s conflict erupted in late 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government.
The strikes targeted the southwestern province of Taiz, northern Al-Jawf, central Al-Bayda, and the northern provinces of Saada and Amran, according to Sarea. He alleged that the attacks hit schools, bridges, roads, and other civilian infrastructure.
