Saudi Arabia issues alert covering Mecca and Jeddah after continued Houthi attacks
GeopoliticsCommodity Impact 4
Saudi Arabia issued a security alert covering several areas on Tuesday, September 15, including the city of Mecca and the city of Jeddah, the country's second-largest city, after being repeatedly attacked over the past week by Iran-aligned militants, drawing Saudi Arabia further into the conflict in the Middle East. The alert was lifted shortly afterwards. Saudi authorities did not immediately report whether any objects or missiles had landed in the area, and no party has claimed responsibility for the attacks. The warning covered the widest area since the conflict escalated over the past week, and it was also the first warning for the city of Mecca, home to the holiest site for all Muslims. The Houthis, allied with Iran, have been able to seize parts of Yemen's Red Sea coastline in recent days, near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world's key shipping routes. The move heightens the risk to Saudi Arabia's oil exports, which have had to reroute away from the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, Saudi Arabia has blamed another Iran-backed movement based in Iraq for the attack on Friday, September 11, that halted the East-West pipeline, which crosses the Arabian desert and is one of the country's most important oil transport routes.
