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Developing story

Saudi Arabia accuses Houthis of targeting Mecca, calls it a 'red line'

Developing story from 4 sources and 7 reports — each one briefly quoted and linked.

Source published: 16 Sept 2026, 22:08 CEST Publication time from the source RSS/feed

Red Sea Crisis · Multiple sources

Saudi Arabia accuses Houthis of targeting Mecca, calls it a 'red line'

Saudi Arabia accused Yemen’s Houthis on Wednesday of launching an attack on the holy city of Mecca, which the Iran-backed rebels denied. Saudi Arabia, a US ally which has been the target of large-scale Houthi strikes since early September, declared Mecca a “red line” as it slid deeper into the new front of the Iran war.

Time span
15 Sept 2026, 18:37 CEST → 16 Sept 2026, 22:08 CEST
Sources
4 sources
Reports
7
Trust
strong · multi-source

Timeline

France 24 - English

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have launched a new wave of attacks on Saudi Arabia, the group claimed Monday, and also seized the strategic islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish in the southern Red Sea, bolstering the rebels' ability to control a key maritime shipping route.

The Guardian - World

Estimated 100,000 Yemenis displaced amid renewed fighting as Qatar sounds alarm over Bab al-Mandab strait Saudi cities faced the threat of a second day of Houthi attacks as fighting across Yemen led the UN to warn of a humanitarian crisis with 100,000 Yemenis already displaced. As oil prices remained well over $100 (£7...

NPR - World

Saudi Arabia accused Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels overnight of trying to attack Islam's holiest city, prompting condemnation from countries in the region but no sign of military support.

Euronews - News

Saudi Arabia vowed it would not hesitate to take "deterrent measures" against the Houthis after alerts were issued over possible drone attacks near Islam's holiest site, the first such alerts since the Iran war began in February.

The Guardian - World

Iran-backed militants have offered Trump administration assurances over safety of Red Sea shipping Officials from the US met Houthi leaders over the weekend at the country’s embassy in Muscat, Oman, it has been confirmed, leading to the US decision not to intervene to help Saudi Arabia drive back a Houthi advance insid...

France 24 - English

Saudi Arabia accused Yemen's Houthis on Wednesday of launching a "cowardly" attack targeting Islam's holy city of Mecca, sparking outrage across the Muslim world. The Houthis swiftly rejected as a "lie" Riyadh's statement that it had shot down a drone heading towards Mecca, which attracts millions of pilgrims each year...

France 24 - English

Saudi Arabia accused Yemen’s Houthis on Wednesday of launching an attack on the holy city of Mecca, which the Iran-backed rebels denied. Saudi Arabia, a US ally which has been the target of large-scale Houthi strikes since early September, declared Mecca a “red line” as it slid deeper into the new front of the Iran war...

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