TEHRAN: Yemen’s Armed Forces rejected Saudi Arabia’s claims that Yemen had targeted Mecca, saying its military operations do not threaten the holy sites and are limited to Saudi oil facilities and military bases.
“The slanders and lies promoted by the Al Saud regime about targeting the Holy Mecca cannot be accepted by anyone,” Yemen’s Armed Forces said in a statement.
“No danger threatens the holy sites from Yemen, and our operations only target their oil facilities and military bases,” the statement added.
Separately, Hazam al-Asad, a member of Ansarullah’s political office, described the Saudi claim that Mecca had been targeted as a repeated lie.
Al-Asad said the claim was made in response to what he described as a “false and worn-out” Saudi allegation that Ansarullah had sought to target Mecca with a drone.
Saudi Arabia has claimed that its air defenses intercepted a drone that was attempting to enter the airspace over Mecca.
According to the Yemeni account, the Saudi claim is part of an effort to provoke Muslim public opinion, particularly among Takfiris, by portraying Yemen as a threat to the holy city.
The Yemeni side further said the allegation was being promoted amid Saudi setbacks against Yemen’s Armed Forces and the failure of Saudi-backed mercenaries on the Yemeni front.
