Saudi Arabia has placed Mecca and several other areas on heightened alert after the Civil Defence issued brief warnings over what authorities described as a potential danger.
The alerts covered Mecca City, home to Islam’s two holiest sites, as well as Yanbu, Taif, Jeddah and parts of the Tabuk region. The warnings were issued through the National Early Warning Platform and lifted only a few minutes later.
While Saudi authorities did not publicly identify the nature of the threat, such alerts have emerged amid a sharp escalation in attacks involving Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement. Recent warnings in the kingdom have coincided with missile and drone activity targeting Saudi territory.
The latest alert comes days after Saudi Arabia accused the Houthis of launching a drone towards Mecca. Saudi air defences intercepted the drone before it entered the restricted airspace around the holy city. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca or any Islamic holy site.
The incident was followed by a Houthi attack on Riyadh, marking the first reported strike on the Saudi capital in years.
Saudi authorities said air defences intercepted a missile directed towards the city, while the Houthis claimed attacks on targets in and around Riyadh and the strategic oil port of Yanbu.
The escalation has intensified an already fragile security situation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, whose conflict dates back to 2014 and Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen the following year.
The Houthis have also expanded their operations along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including advances around strategic areas near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a critical maritime corridor for global trade and energy shipments.
The renewed fighting has raised concerns over the security of Saudi Arabia’s population, energy infrastructure and vital shipping routes, as the wider Middle East conflict continues to draw regional actors deeper into the confrontation.
