Yemen rejects reports of threat against Mecca amid Saudi escalation
Yemen’s military sources dismiss the claim that the country has threatened to target holy sites in the Saudi city of Mecca amid a military confrontation between the two sides that has seen massive Yemeni retaliation against Saudi Arabia’s military and energy facilities.
A military source told the Yemeni News Agency (Saba) on Tuesday that claims that Yemen would target holy sites in Mecca are part of a propaganda campaign by Saudi Arabia to tarnish the image of Yemen as a country devoted to the ideals of the Muslim world.
“We categorically dismiss the existence of any threat from Yemen targeting the holy city of Mecca or any other holy sites.”
The military official said Saudi Arabia has been trying to spread false information about Yemen as part of its efforts to trigger more sympathy among Muslims in the region and around the world.
The claims come amid an expanding exchange of fire between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, which has seen strong Yemeni retaliation against Saudi Arabia’s aerial attacks in recent weeks.
Reports on Tuesday suggested Saudi authorities had sounded alarms in areas around Mecca for the first time in the current round of fighting with Yemen.
That comes as Yemen says it has mostly targeted Saudi Arabia’s military and energy infrastructure in response to the kingdom’s incessant attacks on the civilian infrastructure in the impoverished country.
Meanwhile, Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree said on Tuesday that Saudi warplanes carried out 52 airstrikes on several Yemeni provinces over the past 24 hours.
According to him, the strikes were conducted by F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets that took off from the Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases.
The Saudi strikes targeted civilian infrastructure, including schools, bridges and roads, in Taiz, as well as other civilian sites in Al-Jawf, Al-Bayda, Sa'ada and Amran.
Saree said the Saudi attacks would not go unanswered.
Yemen started its retaliatory attacks on Saudi Arabia in July after the Saudis intensified their years-long siege by attacking facilities in the main airport of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a.
Yemen announced at the time that it will expand its attacks on Saudi Arabia to force the kingdom to finally break its siege, which has imposed heavy economic and human costs on the country since it was enforced in 2015.
The retaliatory attacks by Yemeni armed forces have inflicted heavy damage on Saudi Arabia’s military bases as well as on the lucrative oil production assets.
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