Bahrain Condemns Escalation of Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia and Attempt to Target Mecca

Manama, September 16 (KUNA) -- Bahrain expressed its strong condemnation and rejection today, Wednesday, of the escalating terrorist attacks carried out by the Iran-backed Houthi militia against the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and its attempt to target Mecca with a drone. In a statement, the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the attempt, thwarted by the Saudi Royal Air Defense Forces, constitutes a deliberate repetition of the 2017 attempt to target Mecca, underscoring that targeting holy sites is a consistent policy of this militia, not an isolated incident. It regarded this as a blatant violation of the rules of international law, international humanitarian law, the UN Charter, the Charter of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and relevant Security Council resolutions, as well as a flagrant breach of the sanctity of the Grand Mosque and the holiness of sacred places. Mecca, the qibla of Muslims, the place of revelation, and God’s secure sanctuary, is such that anyone who targets it is targeting the entire Muslim ummah. Bahrain reaffirmed its full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its complete support for all measures it takes to safeguard its sovereignty, security, and stability, and to protect its citizens and residents on its territory, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, emphasizing that Saudi security and stability are an integral part of Bahrain’s national security. It praised the competence and readiness of the Saudi Armed Forces in confronting these attacks and protecting the Kingdom’s security and territorial integrity, and called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and its member states to adopt a unified and firm stance against the targeting of Islamic holy sites. It stressed Bahrain’s call on the Security Council to fulfill its responsibilities and take a firm position to halt the repeated terrorist Houthi attacks targeting civilian infrastructure and religious holy sites, which terrorize innocent civilians in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and to hold their perpetrators accountable, and to implement Resolution 2817 (2026), which includes a demand to cease support for proxy groups, thereby contributing to safeguarding regional and international security and stability and protecting holy sites. (End) K.N.A. / T.M.A.