Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen's Houthis on Wednesday accused the rebels of targeting Mecca, sparking outrage across the Muslim world and deepening the escalating conflict.
The Houthis swiftly rejected as a "lie" Riyadh's report that it shot down a drone from the rebels headed towards the Saudi city of Mecca, which attracts millions of pilgrims every year.
"Claims of targeting Mecca al-Mukarramah are a nauseating lie that was already worn out before," Hazem al-Assad, from the Houthis' politburo, wrote on X in Arabic.
"It is they who desecrate [Mecca] with debauchery and licentiousness and by importing prostitutes, and there is no threat from Yemen to the sanctities," al-Assad said in a separate post.
"Our operations target its oil facilities and military bases, which are far removed from the sacred sites."
The Saudi-led coalition vowed retaliation against the alleged attack, warning that the security of holy sites are a "red line" that must not be crossed.
"The security of the Two Holy Mosques and the pilgrims is a red line, and the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition will not hesitate to take the necessary and deterrent measures against the Terrorist Houthi Militia," the coalition said in a statement shared by spokesperson Turki al-Maliki on X, also translated from Arabic.
Saudi Arabia had issued brief alerts on Tuesday over possible attacks in Mecca and across swathes of the kingdom's south, which borders Yemen.
The alerts came a day after a wave of ballistic missile and drone attacks launched from Yemen wounded 13 people in the kingdom's south.