'Iran condemns threats to Mecca but disputes basis for blaming Houthis'

 

Iran said on Thursday that any attack on Islamic holy sites, including Mecca, was condemnable, but said Saudi Arabia's account of intercepting a drone headed toward the city was not enough to establish who was responsible.

“Any attack on Islamic holy sites, especially Mecca, Medina and Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as threats to their visitors and residents, is condemnable,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a post on X.

“At the same time, merely alleging that a drone was intercepted on its way to Mecca cannot form the basis for accusing a specific party,” he said, noting that Yemen's Houthi-run administration had denied the accusation.

Saudi Arabia said its air defenses intercepted a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered restricted airspace over the holy city. The Houthis, an Iran-aligned group that controls Sanaa and much of northern and western Yemen, denied targeting Mecca.

Baghaei warned against politicizing the security of Islamic holy sites and said the region had seen “many cases of false-flag operations,” calling for “caution and vigilance.”

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202609179740