The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation condemned what it called attacks on Mecca and Medina province while the Houthis denied targeting Mecca. [S2]
Saudi Arabia said its air defenses intercepted the drone south of Mecca just before 7 p.m. local time on September 15 and accused the Houthis of attempting to attack the holy city. [S1]
Saudi military spokesman Turki al-Malki said the security of Mecca and pilgrims was a “red line” and warned of necessary and deterrent measures against the Houthis. [S1][S5]
Verification result: verified, because the checkable central claim is that Saudi Arabia made the accusation and red-line warning, and multiple distinct reporting families document those statements; this does not verify that Mecca was the drone's intended target. [S1][S3][S4]
The Houthis denied targeting Mecca and said their operations were aimed at Saudi oil facilities and military bases far from holy places. [S1][S2]
The drone's intended target remains unresolved in the supplied record because the Saudi accusation and Houthi denial are not accompanied here by independently verifiable flight-path, wreckage, or targeting data. [S1][S2]
