Houthi Missile Interceptions Leave Shrapnel In Mecca, Medina Regions

Saudi Arabia’s civil defence authorities said on Saturday that they had responded to falling shrapnel in the Mecca and Medina regions after missiles launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group were intercepted. The two regions are home to Islam’s holiest cities.

"The fall of shrapnel from two ballistic missiles launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards the regions of Mecca Al-Mukarramah and Medina Al-Munawwarah," the General Directorate of Saudi Civil Defense said in a post on X.

The agency said debris landed at several locations, including Wadi Mughamas outside Mecca, Al-Nuzha neighbourhood in Jeddah, Wadi Jalil in Taif and an uninhabited area in Rabigh.

Earlier on Saturday, the civil defence agency had issued a warning about a "potential danger" across four western provinces, including Mecca. Residents in the affected areas were instructed to "proceed to the nearest safe place".

The incident came hours after the Houthis claimed to have struck several Saudi targets on Friday and Saturday, including three airports, two oil facilities, a pipeline and an air base.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, along with airports in the Dammam and Najran regions. He also claimed attacks on the Khamis Mushait air base in southern Saudi Arabia and "crude oil pumping stations and the crude oil pipeline from east to west".