The Iran-backed Houthi insurgents of Yemen scrambled to deny on Wednesday that they launched a drone at the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia the day before amid growing condemnation from Muslim nations and organizations.
The Saudi military announced it had intercepted a Houthi drone targeting Mecca on Tuesday. The Saudis said the latest of many Houthi drone and missile attacks crossed a “red line” because they threatened a city of such importance to the Islamic religion.
Angry denunciations soon flooded in from other Middle Eastern nations and the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which said the attack was a “heinous” act of terrorism that “runs counter to Islamic values and to international norms, principles, and law.”
On Wednesday, the Muslim World League (MWL) issued a statement condemning the “terrorist approach of the Houthi militia and its attacks targeting holy sites and mosques, as well as schools and civilian objects, in a flagrant violation of the values of our noble religion and the most basic humanitarian principles.”
The MWL called the Houthi attacks “a betrayal of the religion” and supported the kingdom of Saudi Arabia “in all measures it takes to counter the terrorism of the aggressors and safeguard the sanctity of the holy sites and the lives of Muslims.”
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states, said the attempted drone strike on Mecca was a “terrorist act” that “crossed all boundaries.”
The individual members of the GCC also denounced the attack, with Qatar calling it a “disgraceful act of aggression” and a “dangerous escalation.” Bahrain called on the U.N. Security Council to “take a resolute position to halt the Houthis’ repeated assaults on Saudi Arabia.”
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday “strongly condemned” the Mecca attack as a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a threat to its security and stability.”
Egypt on Wednesday condemned the attack as a “blatant violation of the sanctity of religious sites,” and said the Houthis’ actions “run counter to Islamic values and constitute a clear violation of international law.”
Houthi officials insisted on Wednesday that they did not launch the drone at Mecca, denouncing clams to the contrary as “a worn-out lie that has been used before and no longer fools anyone.”
“The fabrications and lies… cannot deceive anyone,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said.
“There is no threat whatsoever from Yemen to the holy sites. Our operations target their oil facilities and military bases and are far removed from the holy places,” he claimed.