Saudi reports missile debris in Makkah region

On November 12, Saudi Arabia reported that debris from two ballistic missiles, intercepted by its air defenses, landed in the Mecca region. The kingdom's state television pinpointed the impact zones as Sabuhah village, 22 miles northeast of Mecca's Grand Mosque, and Wadi al-Maghmas, 13 miles east of the mosque. The intercepted missiles were fired towards the area and were subsequently destroyed, according to Saudi civil defense officials.

In response to these incidents, the Houthis, a Yemen-based group aligned with Iran, vehemently denied Saudi accusations of targeting Mecca and Medina, Islam's most sacred cities. Instead, the Houthis claimed their military actions were focused on military and strategic targets in Saudi Arabia. Mecca, a city home to sites revered by Muslims worldwide and a focal point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, is the object of intense concern for Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia's civil defense emphasized that the targeting of civilian objects constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law, underscoring the "dangerous hostile approach" of the Houthis. The Saudi stance comes amid a conflict that escalated earlier in the year, with both sides engaged in a cycle of missile and drone attacks. The most recent flare-up threatens the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical shipping route connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.