Saudi Authorities Lift Brief Alerts Over Potential Threat in Mecca

Saudi Civil Defence issued a series of brief alerts on Thursday, including one for Mecca, warning of a potential danger before lifting the notices a few minutes later. The National Early Warning Platform said an alert had been issued in Mecca city. Separate warnings covered the Red Sea governorate of Yanbu and the regions of Taif, Jeddah and Tabuk.

The alerts typically indicate a possible missile or drone threat, but the supplied report does not say that an attack occurred in Mecca or any of the other locations. It also does not report casualties or damage. The warnings came amid heightened tensions involving Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis.

Saudi Arabia said last week that the group had targeted Mecca with a drone that was downed. The Houthis denied that accusation. The report said the group later attacked Riyadh, marking a new escalation, and had increased attacks against Saudi Arabia.

It also described fighting involving the Saudi-led coalition and the internationally recognised Yemeni government, but provided no official explanation linking Thursday’s alerts to a specific incident. The account was attributed to AFP by Channels Television.