Debris and splinters from a ballistic missile, reportedly fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and subsequently intercepted, have fallen in the Mecca and Medina regions, according to Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense authority. In a statement on Saturday, the agency said that fragments from two ballistic missiles, destroyed mid-air, scattered across multiple areas.
Saudi Civil Defense stated in a post on their social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that debris from missiles launched by the ‘terrorist Houthi militia’ landed in Wadi Mughamas outside Mecca, the Al-Nuzha area of Jeddah, Wadi Jalil in Taif, and a secluded location in Rabigh.
However, the Houthis have completely denied the accusation of attacking these two holiest cities of Islam. Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesperson, dismissed the claim, stating, “The propaganda by the Saudi enemy that our forces attacked holy places like Mecca and Medina is an extreme and grand falsehood.”
Earlier on Saturday, Saudi Civil Defense, an agency under the country’s interior ministry responsible for protecting citizens and assets in emergencies, had issued a special alert for four western provinces, including Mecca, due to a strong apprehension of ‘possible danger’.
Residents were simultaneously instructed to quickly seek shelter in the nearest safe locations.
Hours before this incident, Houthi rebels had claimed they launched widespread attacks on various critical Saudi installations throughout Friday and Saturday. These targets included three airports, two oil refineries, a pipeline, and an airbase.
Yahya Saree stated that their fighters attacked Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport in ‘two phases’.
Additionally, he claimed successful strikes on airports in the Dammam and Najran regions, an airbase in the southern Khamis Mushait, and ‘crude oil pumping stations and pipelines extending from east to west’.
Amidst escalating tensions in the Middle East, the Saudi-backed government of Yemen reported that Houthis fired at least three ballistic missiles targeting their coastguard facilities in the southern coastal city and port of Aden.
Source: NDTV
