Saudi Arabia accuses Houthis of targeting Mecca, calling it a 'red line'

Saudi Arabia accused Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels of trying to attack Islam’s holiest city, as the region responded with condemnation Wednesday but no sign of military support. The kingdom, a key US ally, declared Mecca a “red line” asslid deeper into the new front of the Iran war. With the world’s biggest oil exporter under fire from the rebels backed by the Saudis' regional adversary, the kingdom needs a safe outlet for its crude as well as military assistance.

There's no clear path to either. A crucial Saudi pipeline has been shut down, reportedly for weeks, after an attack by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. The Houthis have been targeting infrastructure in the kingdom and its shipping on the Red Sea, where they have seized several islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

And Iran is still targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices remain above $100 a barrel. The Houthis denied firing drones toward Mecca, about 1,100 kilometres (680 miles) from Yemen’s border.

The Saudis said they intercepted and destroyed the drone before it entered the airspace over the birthplace of the Prophet Mohammed. The attacks are the first test of a new defence pact among Saudi Arabia, NATO member Turkey and nuclear power Pakistan. But officials from Turkey and Pakistan told The they have not received a Saudi request for support in response to the Houthis' escalation.

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The Turkish official said efforts to “institutionalize” the alliance need to be completed before the pact becomes operational. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the issue. Amid the condemnation of the attempted attack on Mecca, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country and the Saudis stand “unwaveringly, shoulder to shoulder”.