Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been accused of targeting Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca by launching a long-range ballistic missile from 500km over the border.
The rebels and their ally Iran vehemently denied the allegation on Friday.
Mohammed al-Bekheity, a Houthi leader, denied that the missile targeted Mecca.
“We do not target civilians and, in turn, we would not target holy areas,” he said.
Al-Bekheity said the aim behind the coalition’s allegation was to garner sympathy from Muslims and the international community.
“After Saudi Arabia’s crimes against Yemenis were exposed, drawing international sympathy towards Yemen, here it is using such allegations to attract attention towards it,” he said.
The Houthi-affiliated SABA news agency reported that the missile hit the international airport in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
However, Abdulmalak Alsham, an airport official, told Al Jazeera that there was no missile strike on the airport.
Pieced from Aljazeera
