Turkish Presidency strongly condemns Houthi drone attack attempt on Mecca

Istanbul, September 17 (KUNA) -- Burhan Din Duran, head of the communications department at the Turkish Presidency, expressed his strongest condemnation of the drone attack attempt targeting the sanctity and security of the holy city of Mecca. In a post on Thursday on his account on the Turkish social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Duran addressed the Houthi drone attack on Mecca, which was thwarted by Saudi air defenses, stating, “I strongly condemn the vile drone attack attempt that targeted the sanctity and security of Mecca.”

Duran emphasized that any attempt to target the Two Holy Mosques, which hold sacred significance for the entire Islamic world, “wounds our shared conscience,” underscoring that safeguarding Mecca’s security and stability is of paramount importance and sensitivity to the entire Islamic nation. He added, “As President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan always says, the Islamic world does not need new conflicts; rather, it needs wisdom, dialogue, and supportive peace.” Duran reaffirmed Turkey’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia and prayed for its safety.

For its part, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its strong condemnation of the Houthi targeting of Mecca with a drone and reiterated its call for an immediate halt to these attacks, which also threaten regional stability and security, and urged refraining from any actions that could further escalate tensions.

Earlier, the Joint Forces Command of the coalition announced that the Saudi Royal Air Defense Forces intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone launched by the Houthi militia on Tuesday evening, which had attempted to enter the airspace of the holy capital, Mecca. (End)