Houthis Deny Firing Missiles at Mecca

Hours after missile alerts sounded in the Saudi city of Mecca, a Houthi military source issued a forceful denial on Tuesday, claiming the Iranian-backed terror group poses no threat to the city considered holiest in Islam.

"We categorically deny these claims – there is no threat whatsoever from Yemen against the holy city of Mecca or other holy sites," the source told the Yemeni news agency Saba, which is affiliated with the Houthis. "We strongly condemn the misleading and false information being spread by the Saudi enemy regarding a threat from Yemen to the holy city of Mecca."

The source went on to accuse Saudi Arabia of fabricating the reports of an attack aimed at Mecca in order to damage the Houthis' standing and create opposition to them among Muslims worldwide. "Promoting these reports is designed to tarnish our image and win sympathy from the Islamic world," he said. "This is a familiar tactic of the Saudi enemy."

Earlier on Tuesday, missile alerts sounded in Mecca, Islam's holiest city. Simultaneously, sirens were heard in the city of Jeddah, approximately 70 kilometers to the west on the Red Sea coast.

The missiles in question are medium-range projectiles with a 680-kilometer range, which the Houthis fire from northern Yemen toward strategic targets in Saudi Arabia. These are shorter-range missiles than those the Houthis have fired toward Israel (2,200 kilometers), and they possess hundreds or possibly thousands of them in their arsenals, capable of harassing the Saudis.