Drone Shot Down Before Entering Makkah, Coalition: Security of the Two Holy Mosques is a Red Line

The coalition supporting the Yemeni government announced early Wednesday morning that the air defence forces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia successfully intercepted and destroyed an enemy unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) launched by the Houthi group on Tuesday night (16/09/2026).

The drone was destroyed before entering the restricted airspace over Makkah.

Coalition spokesperson, Major General Turki al-Maliki, as quoted by Al Jazeera on Wednesday, stated that the interception of the enemy drone took place south of the holy city of Makkah.

Al-Maliki explained that this aggressive and terrorist attempt was the second attempt to target Makkah, following the first attempt by the Houthis via a ballistic missile launch on 27 July 2017.

He added that the incident could only be described as a reprehensible act attempting to target the place of divine revelation, the land of prophecy, and the spiritual centre for millions of Muslims worldwide, while simultaneously attempting to terrorise the guests of the Baitullah who are in a state of safety, and endangering citizens and residents.

“This aggressive attempt will remain a black mark in the record of violations by the terrorist and extremist Houthi militia, as it is a deliberate act to provoke the anger of millions of Muslims,” he said.

He emphasised that the security of the Two Holy Mosques and the pilgrims performing Hajj and Umrah is a red line.

Al-Maliki also stressed that the Coalition Joint Forces Command will not hesitate to take all necessary and firm measures against the terrorist Houthi militia and its aggressive and terrorist behaviour.

Meanwhile, Hizam al-Asad, a member of the Ansarullah (Houthi) political bureau, responded to Saudi Arabia’s announcement by stating that the claims regarding the targeting of Makkah are lies that have been frequently used in the past.