Warning sounded in Mecca as Houthis rain missiles on Saudi Arabia's west coast

An emergency warning was sounded for the holy city of Mecca, Jeddah and Taif as the Houthis fired ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia's western coast. This was the first time that an emergency alert for aerial threats was sounded for Mecca.

In Short

• Saudi Civil Defense warned people in Mecca, Jeddah and Taif to shelter indoors
• Reports said Houthi missiles were launched towards Saudi Arabia's western coast
• Mecca's alert ended three hours later after Saudi officials said danger had passed

Saudi Arabia issued emergency alerts on Tuesday warning of a "potential danger" in the holy city of Mecca, Jeddah, and Taif even as reports emerged of ballistic missiles being fired on the western coast by Iran-backed Houthi militia. A day earlier, the Yemen-based Houthis fired missiles at Saudi air bases and cities.

The alert, sounded by Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Saudi Civil Defense, at 2.48pm (IST) urged residents to seek shelter and follow official safety instructions.

Records suggest this to be the first time in recent history that an emergency alert for aerial hostile conditions was sounded for Mecca, which houses Islam's one of the two holiest shrines.

After around three hours, the Directorate of Saudi Civil Defense posted on X: "The danger has passed in Mecca City. For your safety, continue following Civil Defense instructions and avoid gathering and filming. In case of emergency, call (911)."

According to the Israeli newspaper Hayom, Houthis launched a missile barrage toward Saudi Arabia's western coast, triggering the alerts. Mecca city is located about 70 kilometers inland from the Red Sea on the western coast of Saudi Arabia.

"Houthis launch a missile barrage toward Saudi Arabia's western coast, triggering alerts. The Saudi Air Force strikes Houthi targets near Taiz in Yemen," Hayom reported.

The brief alert on Tuesday involving the holy city raised fresh concerns over the widening reach of the conflict.

The National Early Warning Platform for Emergencies warned of a "potential danger" in Mecca, while similar alerts were issued in the Jeddah and Taif governorates. Saudi Civil Defense urged residents to stay away from crowded and open areas and seek immediate shelter indoors, without specifying what prompted the alerts.

The warnings came a day after Yemen-based Houthis launched a series of ballistic missiles and drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, injuring 13 people in the kingdom's south. The Mecca alert was later lifted after the Civil Defense said the danger had passed, but residents were still urged to avoid gatherings and refrain from filming or photographing the situation.

The Times of Israel had reported early on Tuesday that at least six Saudi cities received alerts from the Directorate of Civil Defence that morning amid what the outlet called, "apparent Houthi attacks". They included the cities of Jeddah, Abha, Jazan, AlUla and Taif, as well the country's main oil exporting terminal on the Red Sea coast, Yanbu.

The high alert was issued even as the kingdom's Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman, is in Egypt as part of a state visit. He is expected to hold talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on "issues of mutual interest between Egypt and Saudi Arabia", reported Arab News.

The Houthis last week claimed that they had captured Yemen's western coast to command the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The militia has captured Mayun Island, which is in the middle of the Bab el-Mandeb. With Mayun in command, the Houthis are now less than 130 km from Camp Lemonnier, the main American base in Africa.

The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on Monday (September 14) announced they had further captured Greater and Lesser Hanish Island in the southern Red Sea. The move bolstered the group's ability to choke traffic along another key global maritime shipping route as the ripple-effect of the war in Iran grows.

The strategic advance comes as Saudi-backed Yemeni forces try to regain territory recently lost near the Bab el-Mandab Strait, an important alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has held closed since US President Donald Trump began bombing the Islamic Republic on February 28.

- Ends