Mecca Put On Air Raid Alert For First Time In History As Houthis Target Saudi - ndtv.com

**Mecca Put on Air‑Raid Alert for the First Time in History as Houthis Target Saudi Arabia**

For the first time since the city’s founding, the holy metropolis of Mecca was placed on an air‑raid alert on Friday after the Yemeni Houthi movement launched a barrage of missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia’s western seaboard. The alert, issued by the Saudi civil defense agency, triggered sirens at the Grand Mosque and prompted the temporary closure of several pilgrimage sites to ensure the safety of worshippers. According to NDTV, the strikes hit key installations along the Red Sea coast, including near the port city of Jeddah, but no casualties were reported in Mecca itself. The Houthi group, which has been engaged in a proxy conflict with the Saudi‑led coalition since 2015, claimed the attacks were retaliation for Saudi air‑strikes in Yemen.

Saudi officials responded swiftly, with the kingdom’s Ministry of Interior vowing a “firm” reaction to any aggression. In statements quoted by *The Hindu* and Al Jazeera, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman warned that the Kingdom would not tolerate any further attempts to threaten its sovereignty or the safety of the millions of Muslims who travel to the holy sites each year. The Saudi defense ministry confirmed that its air defenses intercepted a number of projectiles, and the Royal Saudi Air Force mobilised fighter jets to patrol the Red Sea corridor, underscoring Riyadh’s determination to protect its critical infrastructure and pilgrimage routes.

The attacks also drew condemnation from several regional actors. India’s foreign ministry, cited by *The Times of India*, denounced the Houthi strikes as a threat to the freedom of navigation through the Bab‑el‑Mandeb Strait, a vital chokepoint for global trade and energy shipments. Indian officials warned that any disruption could have far‑reaching economic repercussions and called for an immediate cease‑fire. Meanwhile, India Today highlighted the broader geopolitical stakes, noting that the escalation raises the risk of the conflict spilling over into the wider Gulf region, potentially drawing in additional external powers.