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SAUDI Arabia said its air defences intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement towards the Mecca region, with debris falling at several locations, including Sabuhah village.
Saudi civil defence said in a statement that the missiles were intercepted on Wednesday, adding that the incident involved debris falling in several areas.
"This hostile targeting of civilian objects constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and reflects the dangerous hostile approach pursued by the Houthi militia," Reuters reported it saying early on Thursday.
The Houthis have repeatedly denied Saudi accusations that they target Mecca and Medina, Islam's two holiest cities, insisting their military operations are directed at military and strategic targets elsewhere in Saudi Arabia.
The group has yet to comment on the latest incident.
The escalation comes amid renewed hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who seized Yemen's capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting Riyadh to intervene militarily the following year in support of the internationally recognised government.
A United Nations-brokered truce in 2022 largely brought the conflict to a halt, but fighting resumed earlier this year, with the Houthis launching missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory and Riyadh conducting airstrikes in Yemen.
The latest escalation has raised concerns over the security of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical shipping corridor connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. - November 12, 2026
