Riyadh warns of ‘red line’ after Mecca targeted; Houthis claim downing Saudi fighter jet – What’s happening?
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Riyadh warns of ‘red line’ after Mecca targeted; Houthis claim downing Saudi fighter jet – What’s happening?")
This handout picture released on September 16, 2026 by Ansarullah Media Centre shows fighters affiliated with Houthi authorities posing in the midst of what the Houthi military said is the wreckage of a Saudi F-15 fighter jet that was shot down in the central province of Marib. Photograph: (AFP)
Saudi Arabia accused Yemen’s Houthis of targeting Mecca, calling it a “cowardly terrorist attack”. Houthis denied it and claimed they shot down a Saudi F-15 over Marib.
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday (Sep 16) condemned the targeting of Mecca, calling it a “cowardly terrorist attack” by Yemen’s Houthis, who have rejected the claims of targeting the holiest Muslim site. The incident has triggered outrage across the Muslim world. The Houthis rejected the allegation, calling Riyadh’s accusations “a worn-out lie”. This comes after Saudi authorities issued alerts warning of possible attacks in Mecca and parts of the country’s south. Meanwhile, Houthis claimed that they have shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet while in the airspace of Marib province.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said the kingdom had the right to “defend the security of the two holy mosques, the pilgrims, and the entire Saudi territory”. The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis also warned that “the security of the Two Holy Mosques and the pilgrims is a red line”.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, representing 57 Muslim countries, condemned what it called “heinous attacks”, while Arab League chief Nabil Fahmy described the incident as “a matter of extreme gravity”.
Houthis claim downing Saudi F-15
Yemen’s Houthis on Wednesday (Sep 16) claimed they had shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Marib province, saying the warplane was targeted with a locally made surface-to-air missile.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces, with Allah's aid and grace, succeeded in shooting down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet while it was carrying out hostile operations in support of its military mobilisations in the airspace of Marib province,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said.
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In a statement posted on social media, Saree also accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out more than 450 strikes in Yemen over the past week. He said the fighter jet was brought down “using a locally made surface-to-air missile”.
Yemen war spills into Red Sea
The latest escalation comes as fighting between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government intensifies. The Houthis have also declared a maritime blockade targeting Saudi ships and claimed control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi Arabia had carried out more than 450 strikes in Yemen this week. The group claimed retaliatory attacks on a Saudi air base and an oil facility in Yanbu, and said it had shot down a Saudi fighter jet.
The renewed fighting has raised wider concerns over Red Sea shipping. Qatar warned that any closure of the Bab al-Mandab Strait would be “catastrophic for the entire world”.
Yemen’s civil war had largely remained dormant since 2022 before fighting intensified in July. The United Nations says the conflict has displaced more than 100,000 people.
