Yemen’s Houthi movement has denied launching a drone towards Saudi Arabia after the Saudi-led coalition reported intercepting and destroying an unmanned aircraft over the Mecca region on Friday.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree rejected the coalition’s account, describing it as false in a statement posted on X. He said the group had not conducted any military operation towards Saudi territory.
Saree added that the movement’s operations targeted Saudi oil facilities and military bases, rejecting the suggestion that it had launched an attack in the direction of Mecca.
The allegation and subsequent denial come amid a series of cross-border attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthis against Saudi Arabia, targeting military installations, airports and energy infrastructure.
The movement has repeatedly denied directing attacks towards Mecca and Medina, Islam’s two holiest cities, following previous accusations by the Saudi-led coalition that it had launched drones towards the religious centres.
The latest incident has again brought competing accounts from the coalition and the Houthi leadership over the direction and targets of the group’s military operations.
