Saudi air defenses destroyed a Houthi drone before it reached the holy city, the coalition said.
Saudi Arabia’s Royal Air Defense Forces intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone at 6:50 PM on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, before it entered the prohibited airspace over Makkah al-Mukarramah, according to the official spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, Major General Turki al-Malki.
Al-Malki said the drone was brought down before it could reach the airspace over Makkah, Islam’s holiest city and the focal point of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. He described the security of the two holy cities and of pilgrims as a red line, and said the coalition would take the necessary deterrent measures against the Houthis.
The coalition described the incident as the second Houthi attempt to target Makkah, following a ballistic missile launch that the coalition said took place in July 2017.
The interception near Makkah came during a wider series of Houthi missile and drone launches toward the Kingdom’s south. The Saudi-led coalition said 13 civilians were injured on Monday in ballistic missile and drone attacks, with several residential buildings and vehicles damaged.
In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, al-Malki said the Houthis had targeted civilians and civilian property in a manner he described as an escalation. He said coalition forces would take all necessary defensive and operational measures to protect Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, its civilians, and civilian facilities, and that the attacks would receive a firm response.
Saudi Arabia also activated an emergency warning system in Makkah for the first time since the Houthis intensified their launches on the Kingdom, according to the National Early Warning Platform. Similar alerts were issued for the governorates of Jeddah and Taif and were lifted a short time later.
Regional Condemnation of the Houthi Attack
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation condemned the attack. In a statement, the OIC’s General Secretariat described the attacks against Makkah and the Madinah region as heinous and referred to continued aggression against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis denied carrying out the attack on Makkah.
Makkah is home to the Kaaba, the structure that Muslims around the world face during their five daily prayers, and it draws millions of pilgrims each year during Hajj and throughout the year for Umrah. The city holds a place of singular importance for Muslims worldwide, which lent added weight to official statements describing its security as a red line.
The coalition said it would continue to take measures to protect the Kingdom’s territory, its citizens, and residents, in line with what it described as the principle of self-defense.
