WNAM MONITORING: Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen’s Houthi group near Mecca, the Saudi-led coalition said early Wednesday.
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said the drone was intercepted around 6.50 p.m. local time (1550GMT) Tuesday before entering restricted airspace, with its wreckage falling south of the city.
Al-Malki described the incident as the Houthis’ second attempt to target Mecca, citing a ballistic missile launched toward the city on July 27, 2017.
He said the security of the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims was a “red line,” vowing that the coalition would take measures to deter further attacks.
The incident came a day after the coalition said 13 civilians were injured in missile and drone attacks by the Houthis on Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif, with seven homes and two vehicles damaged.
Confrontations between Yemen’s internationally recognized government’s forces and the Houthis have escalated since early July following years of relative calm.
The country has been engulfed in war since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in 2014 before a Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.
