Saudi Arabia has accused Yemen’s Houthi rebels of launching a drone towards Mecca, prompting Riyadh to warn that the security of the holy city and Muslim pilgrims remained a red line.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said on Wednesday that it had intercepted the drone before it could reach Mecca, which attracts millions of Muslims for pilgrimage and worship each year.

The Houthis, however, rejected the allegation, describing it as false. Hazem al-Assad, a member of the group’s political bureau, said claims that the Houthis had targeted Mecca were an accusation previously used by Saudi Arabia.

Saudi authorities had issued brief alerts on Tuesday over possible attacks in Mecca and other parts of the country’s southern region.

The Saudi-led coalition subsequently warned that it would take what it described as necessary and deterrent measures against the Houthis if the security of the holy sites was threatened.

“The security of the Two Holy Mosques and the pilgrims is a red line,” the coalition said.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, a 57-member bloc of Muslim-majority countries, condemned what it described as attacks against Mecca and the wider Madinah region.

The latest development comes amid renewed fighting in Yemen, where the Iran-backed Houthis have expanded their control along the Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The group has also declared a maritime blockade on Saudi vessels, while Saudi Arabia has carried out retaliatory strikes against Houthi positions.

The renewed conflict has raised concerns over international shipping and energy supplies, particularly as disruptions around the Bab al-Mandab Strait coincide with wider instability affecting the Strait of Hormuz.

The United Nations estimates that about 82,000 people have fled their homes in Yemen since the beginning of September because of the renewed fighting.