Shafaq News- Baghdad

Jamal al-Dhari, secretary-general of the Iraqi National Project, an Iraqi political organization, on Wednesday called for a unified and firm Arab and Muslim response to the Houthis (Ansarallah) after Saudi Arabia accused the Yemeni group of attempting to target Mecca.

“Targeting Mecca, Islam’s holiest city and the direction Muslims face in prayer, is a dangerous escalation that violates the sanctity of the Two Holy Mosques* and threatens the safety of Umrah** pilgrims,” al-Dhari said.

Al-Dhari said the incident required “a unified and firm Arab and Muslim position toward the Houthi militia and those who support it.”

“The least expected of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and other Arab and Muslim countries hosting Houthi offices or representatives is to take legal measures to close them, end their presence on their territories, and reject any cover or leniency toward this group,” he added, referring to the Houthis’ designation by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

Al-Dhari said any threat to Islam’s two holiest sites represented “a dangerous escalation that cannot be met with silence,” adding that protecting the sites and those visiting them was a responsibility that allowed “no compromise or negligence.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the Houthis denied that any threat from Yemen was directed at Mecca or Islamic holy sites, accusing Saudi Arabia of spreading what it described as false reports aimed at damaging the group’s image and influencing Muslim public opinion.

The Joint Forces Command of the Saudi-led Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said Saudi air defenses had intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by the Houthis south of Mecca before it entered the city’s restricted airspace.

The coalition described the incident as the Houthis’ second attempt to target Mecca, citing a ballistic missile launch on July 27, 2017, as the first.

*The Two Holy Mosques refer to the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet Mohammed’s Mosque in Medina, Islam’s two holiest sites.

**Umrah is a pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims can perform at any time of the year.