Saudi King Salman denounces Houthis as "terrorist militia" in rare rebuke

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has branded Yemen’s Houthi movement a “terrorist militia”, accusing the Iran-aligned group of repeatedly targeting the holy city of Mecca, in a rare sharp intervention by the 90-year-old monarch.

The king made the remarks during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. He called the suspected Houthi targeting of Mecca a “heinous crime” and a provocation against Muslim sentiment worldwide.

Most day-to-day Saudi affairs are led by his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, making the king’s comments a notable departure from his usual low profile. King Salman commended the armed forces and security services for “defending the homeland and resolutely confronting any aggression against the holy sites, pilgrims, citizens and residents of the Kingdom”, Al Jazeera reported, citing SPA.

The statement follows Saudi claims last week that the kingdom intercepted a Houthi drone aimed at Mecca — an accusation the Houthis strongly denied, with leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi calling the Saudi claim “a heinous lie”. It was the first time in nearly ten years that a security alert had been activated in Mecca, home to the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site.

The king also referenced the crown prince’s meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo last week, and his own conversations with French President Emmanuel Macron on regional stability and freedom of maritime navigation.

Meanwhile the fighting has intensified. The Houthis accuse Riyadh of deadly airstrikes as thousands flee, with 154 people reportedly killed in fighting over the past two days, Dawn reported. The group has seized large stretches of Yemen’s Red Sea coast in recent weeks, and the United Nations said on Tuesday that the number of people displaced by the latest fighting could rise from more than 130,000 to over 230,000 in the coming months.

The G7 has called on the Houthis to halt military actions and attacks on shipping, while Britain has committed air-to-air refuelling support for Saudi forces, according to Dawn.

Sources

• Al Jazeera: “Saudi Arabia’s King Salman slams targeting of Mecca by ‘terrorist’ Houthis” (22 Sept 2026) — https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/22/saudi-king-slams-heinous-targeting-of-mecca-by-terrorist-houthis
• Dawn: “Saudi king denounces Houthis in rare rebuke” (23 Sept 2026) — https://www.dawn.com/news/2032005/saudi-king-denounces-houthis-in-rare-rebuke
• Nukta: “Saudi King Salman condemns Houthis as ‘terrorist militia’ in rare statement” (22 Sept 2026) — https://nukta.com/saudi-king-salman-condemns-houthis-as-terrorist-militia-in-rare-statement