Saudi monarch’s uncommon condemnation hints at sense of urgency within the kingdom amid ramped-up assaults from Yemen.
Printed On 22 Sep 2026
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has branded Yemen’s armed Houthi movement a “terrorist militia” and accused the Iran-allied group of repeatedly concentrating on the holy metropolis of Mecca.
The 90-year-old Saudi monarch made the feedback throughout a cupboard assembly on Tuesday, the official Saudi Press Company (SPA) reported.
It was a uncommon sharp intervention in present affairs by the king, as most day-to-day affairs are led by his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Lethal Houthi assaults this month have marked one of many best threats to Saudi Arabia’s safety in years.
King Salman known as the suspected Houthi concentrating on of the holy metropolis a “heinous crime” and a provocation towards Muslim sentiment worldwide, in keeping with SPA.
Final week, Saudi Arabia stated it had intercepted a drone launched by the Houthis towards Mecca, an accusation that the Houthis strongly denied, with Houthi chief Abdel-Malik al-Houthi calling the Saudi claims “a heinous lie”.
It was the primary time in almost 10 years {that a} safety alert had been activated in Mecca, residence to the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest web site.
The Saudi monarch recommended the navy and safety providers for “defending the homeland and resolutely confronting any aggression towards the holy websites, pilgrims, residents and residents of the Kingdom”.
Saudi cities focused
King Salman additionally cited a gathering between the crown prince and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo last week, in addition to his conversations with French President Emmanuel Macron on “efforts to boost regional stability and make sure the safety and freedom of maritime navigation”.
Houthi missile and drone assaults increasingly target Saudi cities, vitality infrastructure and transport, opening one other entrance within the wider regional battle that started with the US and Israel’s struggle on Iran in February.
On Saturday, Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen stated they had intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis in direction of the Saudi capital Riyadh, sending a darkish column of smoke from a gas storage space at King Khalid Worldwide Airport in Riyadh.
The escalation has additionally raised the stakes for world vitality provides, as Houthi fighters expanded their management to Yemen’s complete Crimson Beach, which has been used in its place route for Saudi oil exports amid the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Amid rising regional tensions, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan final month signed the Mecca Joint Defence Settlement, which treats an armed attack on any of its three member nations as an assault on all three.
