Latest update: the alert for Mecca was lifted with no impacts, damages or casualties
The Saudi Civil Defense Directorate announced that air raid sirens were activated across the major cities of Mecca and Jeddah following suspected cross-border launches originating from the Iranian-backed Houthi movement in Yemen. Although the civil defense agency subsequently declared that the immediate danger had subsided, Saudi media reports indicated that aerial attacks on the cities were persisting. The incident is assessed to be part of a coordinated barrage of projectile launches aimed by Houthi insurgents toward major western population hubs in the kingdom. Regional air defense networks remain deployed on high alert as military authorities monitor the threat environment and assess potential impacts.
Head of religious affairs for the Two Holy Mosques, Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, strongly condemned the Houthi attacks threatening sacred sites in Saudi Arabia.