Saudi coalition says Houthi drone destroyed near Makkah

Saudi Arabia’s military coalition reported on Wednesday that Houthi drones were destroyed south of Makkah, prior to approaching the city’s restricted airspace. The drone, detected on Tuesday evening, marked the second attempt by Houthi forces to target the holy city since July 2017, according to spokesperson Turki al-Malki. This escalation comes after a week of Houthi attacks, further drawing Saudi Arabia into the ongoing conflict.

Situated near Makkah is the city’s vast significance in Islam, and its security is considered a "red line" by the coalition spokesperson. Houthi officials have denied targeting Makkah. The series of attacks targeting Saudi Arabia have sent shockwaves through global energy markets, already strained by the six-month-long US-Iran war.

The Houthis have forcibly assumed control of sections of Yemen's Red Sea coast, near the Bab el-Mandeb, a crucial shipping strait. This development poses a threat to Saudi Arabia’s oil exports, as they are being rerouted around the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia issued security alerts for Makkah on Tuesday, but Houthi political bureau member Mohammed al-Farah firmly denied the allegation, calling it a "complete falsehood".

Houthi operatives have been engaged in multiple assaults on Saudi Arabia over the past week, including an attack on an air base on Monday, which resulted in the wounding of 13 civilians. Saudi Arabia has also accused a pro-Iranian movement based in Iraq of disrupting one of the kingdom’s most vital oil transport routes, the 1,200-kilometer East-West Pipeline.

This pipeline, linking Saudi Arabia’s Gulf oil fields to the Red Sea, has been the primary export route while the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked due to the ongoing war. With the pipeline currently shut, traders estimate that a prolonged closure could slash up to 4% of the global oil supply. The Saudi-led coalition has not disclosed when the pipeline might resume operations.

However, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright assured CNBC that crude oil should begin flowing through the pipeline within days. Saudi Arabia has led the coalition waging war in Yemen since 2015, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reached out to US President Donald Trump last week for military assistance. So far, the aid provided has been restricted to intelligence support.