Yemeni Scholars Deny Claims Yemen Targeted Holy City of Mecca

Yemeni scholars have rejected Saudi Arabia’s claim that Yemeni forces attempted to target the holy city of Mecca, describing the allegation as a “pure fabrication.”

The Conference of Yemeni Scholars, convened in Sana’a by the Association of Yemeni Scholars, said the allegation that Saudi air defenses intercepted a drone approaching Mecca was intended to inflame Muslim opinion, create sectarian tensions and justify further military action against Yemen.

In a statement, the scholars accused Riyadh of using the status of the Two Holy Mosques for political purposes and said the claim was “false and baseless.”

They argued that the presence of US and Western military bases in the region posed a greater threat to the holy sites. They also criticized Saudi Arabia over what they described as increased Israeli involvement in areas connected to the Hajj and the opening of Saudi airspace to Israeli aircraft.

The scholars called on Islamic institutions, including Al-Azhar, the Muslim World League and the International Union of Muslim Scholars, to investigate the situation and work toward ending the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

Yemeni Mufti Shams al-Din Sharaf al-Din accused Saudi officials of exploiting the status of the Two Holy Mosques to promote what he described as false claims.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Ansarullah movement has repeatedly denied any intention to target Mecca. Its leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, described the Saudi allegation as a “great slander,” while military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said Yemeni operations target military installations and oil facilities away from the holy sites.

Saudi Arabia has not, in the material provided, responded directly to the Yemeni scholars’ latest statement.

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