Mecca

Five killed as Houthis target Yemen's presidential palace in Aden with missiles

The Houthis also recently warned airlines that Saudi airspace and airports remain unsafe.

|ByREUTERS
Yemeni security soldiers stand in front of a screen broadcasting Houthi-run forces launching a missile, during a demonstration staged to support missile forces in protecting the country's sovereignty and to denounce the Saudi accusation that Yemenis are attempting to attack Maca, on September 18.
Supporters of the Houthi authorities gather during a protest against the Saudi intervention in Yemen, in Sanaa, on October 9, 2026.

Pakistan pledges full military backing to Saudi Arabia under Mecca pact after deadly Houthi strikes

“Pakistan will not tolerate any kind of aggression. Our agreements demand it, and so do our bonds of brotherhood.” 

|ByTHE MEDIA LINE STAFF
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accompanied by their ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence, pose after signing a joint defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, August 7, 2026.

Mecca defense signees converging to discuss Houthi threat after Baghaei warns of escalation

The meeting comes a day after Iranian FM Esmail Baghaei said he hoped a “rumor” that Pakistan had deployed troops to Saudi Arabia was untrue, warning that intervention would complicate the situation.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Iran-aligned Houthi fighters occupy a firing position in a screengrab from a video said to show Houthi fighters attacking Saudi-backed forces in the location given by the source as al Jawf governorate, Yemen.

Houthi Red Sea advance, drone strikes leave Saudi Arabia isolated in major conflict - analysis

Houthi Red Sea offensive leaves Riyadh isolated

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Voices from the Arab press: A Saudi overhaul of the pilgrimage process

A selection of stories from the Arab press this week.

JUNE 7, 2018ByMEDIA LINE
THE GREAT Mosque during Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in 2007