Saudi Arabia stated that its air defense forces intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels before it entered the restricted airspace over Mecca on Tuesday evening. The Saudi-led coalition condemned the incident as an attempt to frighten worshippers and harm civilians, warning that the security of the two holy mosques and pilgrims is a “red line”. This marks the first time since 2017 that a security alert was activated in Mecca.