Yemen’s Houthi movement denied targeting Mecca with a drone after the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted seven missiles and drones launched toward Riyadh, Mecca and other Saudi areas on Nov. 11.
The coalition said it destroyed three cruise missiles headed for the Riyadh region, two drones directed toward Mecca and southern areas, and two missiles aimed west.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree rejected the claim that a Houthi drone was aimed at Mecca. He said the movement’s operations target oil facilities and military bases, and claimed the Houthis struck a pumping station in Yanbu. Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia had not confirmed the Yanbu claim. Reuters described Yanbu as an oil hub that helps Saudi exports bypass the blocked Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi state television reported civil defence alerts for Taif, Yanbu and Khamis Mushait on Nov. 11, then later said the danger had passed.
The report followed a Nov. 10 coalition announcement that it had downed a ballistic missile and a cruise missile bound for Riyadh. EconoTimes previously covered a separate Nov. 6 report of missile and drone interceptions.
Reuters said an Aramco administrative site in Riyadh was damaged during a Houthi attack on Nov. 8. In October, a Houthi assault on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport left 13 people dead and more than 300 injured, Reuters reported.
The Houthis moved toward Bab el-Mandeb in September as clashes with Saudi Arabia grew more intense, Reuters reported. The strait is a shipping chokepoint at the Red Sea’s southern entrance. Reuters said Houthi attacks on Saudi oil sites, airports and ports increased as Saudi Arabia expanded airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
