Houthi Drone Near Mecca: Saudi Arabia Draws ‘Red Line’ – Was Mecca Pact Tested? | Today’s news

Saudi Arabia’s capture of a Houthi drone south of Mecca has brought Yemen’s war dangerously close to Islam’s holiest city.

Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed what Riyadh said was a drone launched by the Houthis south of Mecca on Tuesday, September 15, before it entered restricted airspace over the holy city.

A spokesman for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, Major General Turki al-Malki, said the security of the Two Holy Mosques and the Pilgrims was a “red line” and warned that the coalition would take the necessary deterrent measures against the Houthis.

In a post on X, the Houthis denied targeting Mecca and called the Saudi claim false.

The incident came barely a month after Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed the Mecca Mutual Defense Treaty, under which an armed attack against any of the three countries is considered an attack against all three. The agreement was also signed in Mecca on August 7.

And that’s where the Houthi’s latest escalation creates an uncomfortable test for Islamabad.

The language of the Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement is broad. An armed attack against one signatory should be considered an attack against all, similar to Article 5 of NATO.

However, the agreement does not publicly stipulate an automatic military response or specify what form aid must take in all circumstances. Reuters noted at the time that the pact’s obligations remained vague.

The Houthis have expanded their attacks on Saudi territory, including cities and energy infrastructure, while the conflict in Yemen has simultaneously moved closer to the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait.

So far, Islamabad has been careful not to cross that line.

Islamabad flip flop

Earlier, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif recently suggested that the pact could be operational if Saudi Arabia faced “unprovoked aggression” or the Yemeni conflict spilled over into the kingdom, as quoted by Geo News.

Later, however, Islamabad backtracked and tried to narrow expectations.

On September 10, Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan said that no military response was being discussed in connection with the Houthi attacks. He also claimed that Pakistan would act on the agreement “when the time comes”.

Then Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif came in, in a damage-control mood, and called Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, condemning Houthi attacks on Saudi civilian and economic infrastructure. Sharif emphasized Pakistan’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia and said Islamabad would continue its efforts to “ease” regional tensions.

Pakistan has significant military ties with Saudi Arabia. The new agreement builds on long-term defense cooperation between the two countries.

As part of a separate bilateral framework, the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement signed in September 2025, Saudi authorities confirmed in April that Pakistani troops, along with fighter and support aircraft from the Pakistan Air Force, had arrived at King Abdulaziz Air Base amid heightened regional tensions.

The Houthis are not just a conventional state adversary. It is a powerful armed movement operating from Yemen and widely supported by Iran.

The US think tank Council on Foreign Relations says Iran’s aid includes weapons, training and intelligence support, helping the Houthis develop capabilities that allow them to project forces into the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.

This makes any Pakistani military intervention potentially more complex than simply defending Saudi territory.

The Houthis have overcome sporadic attacks and are now threatening the security architecture around the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab. The Houthis’ recent advance along Yemen’s Red Sea coast has raised concerns about the strategic maritime hub, while attacks on Saudi infrastructure have added a direct economic dimension.

The CFR describes Bab al-Mandab as a critical choke point for global energy flows, noting that Iranian support has helped the Houthis build the ability to project energy into the Straits and the wider Red Sea.

Iran already used the geostrategic influence of its geography during the Iran War, choking the Strait of Hormuz and triggering an energy crisis.

Buried by Pak, Saudi Arabia looks to Israel for help

After being rejected by the Pakistan-led alliance, the clearest sign that Riyadh is not relying solely on the new trilateral arrangement is emerging reports of Saudi efforts to obtain outside intelligence and security assistance.

A Jerusalem Post report, citing diplomatic sources, said Saudi Arabia and Israel had held discussions brokered by US Central Command about intelligence assistance against the Houthis.

The reported cooperation is focused on intelligence. Neither Saudi Arabia nor Israel have publicly confirmed the arrangement.

There were also reports that Riyadh was seeking British help in dealing with the Houthi threat to Bab al-Mandab and Saudi energy infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia appears to be building a wider security net rather than waiting solely for help from the Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement to determine its response.

Given the developments after the attack, Pakistan’s balancing act is now in the spotlight

With information from Reuters, AFP