Iran foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has commented on Saudi Arabia’s stance that Houthis targeted Makkah.

“Any aggression against Islamic holy sites, particularly Makkah al-Mukarramah, Madina al-Munawwarah, and Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as threats to their pilgrims and neighbours, is a condemned act,” he wrote on X.

“At the same time, a mere claim of intercepting a drone en route to Makkah al-Mukarramah cannot constitute grounds for accusing a specific party, especially since the Yemeni Government of Change and Construction has explicitly denied this claim,” he added, referring to the Houthi-led administration.

Baqaei said Iran “emphasises the necessity of preventing the politicisation of the issue of Islamic holy sites and their security, and of not using it as a tool to incite strife and escalate regional tensions”.

He called for “caution and vigilance”, noting that the region “witnessed numerous instances of ‘false flag’ operations, particularly in recent months, aimed at diverting public opinion from the crimes committed by the Zionist entity and the United States in the region, and at sowing discord among Islamic countries”.