AMMAN — Jordan on Wednesday condemned a Houthi drone attack targeting the holy city of Mecca, expressing solidarity with Saudi Arabia and support for measures taken to protect the kingdom’s security and stability.

 

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the attack as a violation of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and a breach of international law.

 

The ministry said the attack also disregarded the sanctity of Mecca and offended the sentiments of Muslims worldwide.

 

Ministry spokesperson Fouad Majali reaffirmed Jordan’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its support for measures taken by the Kingdom to protect its security, stability, citizens and residents.

 

Saudi air defences were able to destroy a drone attempting to enter the air space of the holy city of Makkah, in a major escalation by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Arab News reported.

 

The drone was intercepted at 6:50 pm Saudi time on Tuesday south of Makkah, a city visited by millions of Muslims annually.

 

The act was a red line said Major General Turki Al Malki, spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, in a statement issued early on Wednesday.

 

Makkah is Islam’s holiest site and the act by the Iran-backed group is likely to upset millions of Muslims globally.

 

The location is key to one of Islam’s major pillars — the Hajj, a pilgrimage to the city and it’s holy precincts.

 

The coalition said the attempt by the Houthis will remain “a black mark in the record of violations by the terrorist Houthi militia, considered a deliberate act to inflame the feelings of millions of Muslims”.

 

"The Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone launched by the Terrorist Houthi Militia before it entered the Prohibited Airspace Area of the Holy City of 'Makkah Al-Mukarramah'", read a statement, using another name for Mecca, posted on X by Al Maliki.

 

Last week's lightning offensive saw the group seize control of the entirety of Yemen's Red Sea coast and the Bab Al Mandab Strait, a vital artery for Saudi oil exports as the wider Middle East war chokes off the Strait of Hormuz strategic shipping route, AFP reported.

 

The Saudi coalition vowed retaliation, warning that the security of holy sites was a "red line".

 

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation -- a bloc of 57 Muslim countries -- condemned the "heinous" attack.

 

Saudi Arabia had issued brief alerts on Tuesday over possible attacks in Mecca and across swathes of the kingdom's south, which borders Yemen.

 

The alerts came a day after a wave of ballistic missile and drone attacks launched from Yemen wounded 13 people in the kingdom's south, according to AFP.

 

Fighting flared in July when the Houthis, who have for years controlled swathes of northern Yemen, launched a large-scale offensive against Yemeni government forces.

 

The conflict in the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country has forced 82,000 people to flee their homes since the start of September, according to the United Nations.

 

Yemen's permanent representative at the UN, Abdullah Al Saadi, said Yemenis were fighting to restore "national institutions across every inch of their land", and called on the international community to take action against the Houthis, AFP reported.

 

'Hostile and extremist'

 

Yemen's plea came as Saudi Arabia and Egypt called for free navigation in the Red Sea following the Houthi's offensive in the vital waterway.

 

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi called on Tuesday for "ensuring the freedom and security of maritime navigation" through the Hormuz and Bab Al Mandab -- which links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, the Egyptian presidency said.

 

Disruption in the strait could cause Egypt to feel the pinch too, as the Red Sea serves as the gateway to the Suez Canal, upon which Cairo relies for crucial foreign revenue.

 

Canal revenues are currently around half of what they were before the Houthis first started attacking Red Sea shipping in 2023, a campaign they said was in solidarity with Palestinians during Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

 

On Tuesday, Qatar warned of dire consequences if Bab Al Mandab was closed, saying it would be "catastrophic for the entire world".

 

The Houthis have also targeted oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, the world's leading crude exporter, helping push global prices above the $100-a-barrel threshold.

 

The Saudi-led coalition said it would deal with the attacks "firmly to protect the sovereignty of the Kingdom", and would take "all necessary operational measures to deter this... hostile and extremist approach".

 

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Tuesday that Saudi Arabia launched 52 airstrikes on Yemen over the past 24 hours, accusing it of targeting civilian sites, including schools and bridges.

 

But Riyadh's strikes have failed to reverse the group's gains.

 

A US military task force is working to enhance intelligence-sharing and planning assistance for Saudi forces as they face attacks, a US official told AFP on Tuesday.