Saudi Arabia’s air defences intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles that the Houthi movement launched towards the Mecca region on Wednesday 11 November 2026, and debris fell at several locations, including Sabuhah village, the Saudi civil defence said in a statement early on Thursday 12 November.
Saudi state television placed Sabuhah village about 35 kilometres northeast of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, and Wadi al-Maghmas about 21 kilometres east of it. The civil defence said the targeting of civilian objects is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and reflects the dangerous hostile approach of the Houthi militia.
Also on 11 November, the coalition fighting the Houthis said its air defences intercepted and destroyed three cruise missiles that the group launched towards the Riyadh region.
An earlier incident near Mecca took place on 24 October 2026, when the civil defence reported debris from two intercepted ballistic missiles fired towards the Mecca and Medina regions. Fragments landed at Wadi al-Maghmas near Mecca, in Jeddah’s Al-Nuzha neighbourhood, at Wadi Jalil in Taif and at Masturah in Rabigh governorate. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca and Medina and said their operations target Saudi oil facilities and military bases.
| Detail | 24 October 2026 | 11 November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Missiles intercepted | Two ballistic missiles | Two ballistic missiles |
| Regions targeted | Mecca and Medina | Mecca |
| Debris sites | Wadi al-Maghmas (Mecca), Al-Nuzha (Jeddah), Wadi Jalil (Taif), Masturah (Rabigh) | Sabuhah village and Wadi al-Maghmas |
| Wadi al-Maghmas distance from the Grand Mosque | About 20 kilometres | About 21 kilometres east |
The Houthis seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014, and Saudi Arabia intervened militarily the following year in support of the internationally recognised government. A United Nations-brokered truce in 2022 largely froze the conflict, but hostilities resumed in 2026, with Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory and Saudi airstrikes in Yemen. The escalation has threatened the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the shipping route linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
