Mecca: The ongoing mismatch between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi rebels has now reached the holy municipality of Mecca. The Saudi coalition has personal that its air defence system has shot lanugo a Houthi drone south of Mecca. This drone was well-nigh to enter the restricted airspace of the city. However, the Houthi side has denied the recrimination of targeting Mecca.
What did Saudi Arabia say?
According to Saudi coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki, this drone was intercepted south of Mecca on the evening of September 15. He said the drone was destroyed surpassing it could enter the no-fly zone of the holy city. Al-Maliki said that the security of Islam's holy sites including Mecca and Medina and the security of Hajj pilgrims is of utmost importance to us.
What does the Houthi side have to say?
On the other hand, the Houthis have rejected Saudi's claim. The Houthi military source said that there is no threat from the organisation to Mecca or any holy site. That ways the claims of both sides regarding the purpose of the drone are different.
Is an air zestful issued for the first time in Mecca?
On September 15, Saudi Arabia had issued a security zestful in many parts of the country including Mecca and Jeddah. According to Reuters, this type of zestful was issued for the first time in Mecca during the current war. The zestful was later lifted and officials did not immediately say whether any missile or drone had fallen on the city.
Had there been an older struggle to target Mecca?
A Saudi coalition spokesman described the incident as the second so-called struggle to target Mecca. According to him, older in July 2017 also, Houthis had personal to have fired ballistic missiles towards Mecca. This time too the Houthi side has refused to target Mecca.
Why did tension increase?
In the last few days, tension has increased significantly in Yemen between attacks by Houthi fighters and counterattacks by Saudi coalition. Houthis have attacked military targets in Saudi Arabia, while the Saudi coalition has carried out air strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. According to Reuters, the recent mismatch has drawn Saudi Arabia remoter into this regional war.
Mecca is the holiest municipality for Muslims virtually the world and is moreover the largest centre of Hajj pilgrimage every year. In such a situation, the security agencies of Saudi Arabia are on uneaten zestful regarding any air security incident virtually Mecca.
