What happened
The Iran-backed Houthi insurgents of Yemen have denied launching a drone at the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The denial comes after the Saudi military announced it had intercepted a Houthi drone targeting Mecca, which the Saudis said crossed a red line due to the city's importance to the Islamic religion.
The incident has sparked widespread condemnation from Muslim nations and organizations, including the Organization for Islamic Cooperation, the Muslim World League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council. These groups have denounced the attack as a heinous act of terrorism that violates Islamic values and international norms.
Individual countries, such as Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, have also issued statements condemning the attack. Bahrain has called on the U.N. Security Council to take action to halt the Houthis' repeated assaults on Saudi Arabia.
In response to the allegations, Houthi officials have insisted that they did not launch the drone at Mecca, calling the claims a worn-out lie. They have stated that their operations target oil facilities and military bases, not holy sites.
