Saudi Arabia says Houthis attempted to target Makkah, Madinah 3 times over 9 years: report

Saudi Arabia has reported three Houthi attempts to target the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah over the past nine years, including two incidents in September, drawing condemnation from Arab and Muslim countries. The Yemeni group has denied some of the accusations. According to an Anadolu review of official Saudi statements, the latest alleged attacks targeted Madinah and an area south of Makkah, while the first reported attempt occurred in July 2017.

Makkah and Madinah are home to Islam’s holiest sites, the Grand Mosque and the Kaaba in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. Saudi Arabia has led a coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government against the Houthis since March 2015. The Yemeni group has controlled the capital Sanaa and several provinces since September 2014.

Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia intensified in September after the group announced what it called a “maritime blockade” on the kingdom in July and later claimed ballistic missile and drone attacks on Saudi sites and vessels. Two incidents in September 2026 On Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition said a drone attack it attributed to the Houthis had targeted a power station in Madinah. Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said the attack occurred early Tuesday and knocked a transformer out of service without affecting the electricity grid.

Maliki accused the Houthis of targeting civilian infrastructure providing electricity services to the Prophet’s Mosque, describing the incident as an “extension of this extremist militia’s approach in attempts to target the Two Holy Mosques.” “Investigation findings, operational data and examination of debris from the drone used in the attack proved the Houthi militia’s involvement in planning and carrying out this act,” he said. The coalition would continue taking measures to deter the Houthis and protect the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims in Makkah and Madinah, he added. Read: Pakistan calls Houthi attack on Madinah power station ‘grave provocation’ On September 16, Maliki said Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Makkah before it entered the city’s restricted airspace.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said at the time that it was the second alleged Houthi attempt to target Makkah after an earlier incident in July 2017. Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz condemned the Houthi militia’s at… Saudi authorities on Friday denied reports of a suicide bomber at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, saying a man was arrested for harassing passersby and causing panic.

“Security authorities in the holy capital arrested a person for harassing passersby and spreading fear and panic among them, and he was dealt with immediately,” authorities said in a statement on the US social media platform X. pic.twitter.com/cNNGjLghk8 — الأمن العام (@security_gov) October 1, 2026 “The security authorities confirm that there is no truth to the claims being circulated regarding the incident,” the statement said. The statement provided no further details about the suspect.