16 September,2026 05:26 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Saudi authorities said a drone launched by Houthi militants towards Mecca was intercepted and destroyed on Tuesday evening. PICAFP
India on Wednesday expressed deep concern over an attempted drone attack near the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia and reiterated its call for the early restoration of peace and stability in West Asia, news agency PTI reported.
Saudi authorities said a drone launched by Houthi militants towards Mecca was intercepted and destroyed on Tuesday evening, before it entered the prohibited airspace over the holy city. The Houthis, however, denied targeting Mecca or any Islamic holy site.
"We are deeply concerned at the drone attack near Mecca," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
"India reiterates its condemnation of attacks on the sovereign territory of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and of actions that endanger civilian lives and infrastructure," he said.
"The incident near Mecca is particularly concerning, given the special significance of the city to Muslims across the world," Jaiswal said while responding to a media query.
"We hope for the early restoration of peace and stability in the region," he added.
The incident has heightened tensions in West Asia, coming amid a series of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Several areas along Saudi Arabia's western coast, including Mecca, were placed on security alert on Tuesday after Saudi authorities said their air defences had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of the city.
The drone was destroyed before it entered Mecca's prohibited airspace, according to Saudi authorities.
India had on Tuesday expressed serious concern over Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia's civilian infrastructure and economic assets, warning that such strikes undermine regional stability and threaten freedom of navigation through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed the latest situation in West Asia during a meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on the sidelines of the BRICS summit on Sunday.
"We have condemned the attack on the Saudi sovereign territory, including on the civilian infrastructure and economic assets. I would say that such attacks undermine regional stability and threaten freedom of navigation through the Bab-el-Mandeb," Jaiswal said at his regular media briefing on Tuesday.
The Iran-backed Houthi militant group has also attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline, a key route for transporting crude oil.
Ever since the conflict involving Iran disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the East-West pipeline has served as a critical bypass for Saudi Arabia's oil exports.
The Houthi attacks have also raised concerns over the safety of the Bab-el-Mandeb shipping lane, one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints, located between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.
India last week condemned the latest wave of attacks on Saudi oil installations. The attacks on Saudi oil facilities came amid the United States ramping up its economic sanctions against Iran.
The Houthis have been operating primarily from Yemen.
(With PTI inputs)
