Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu on Wednesday condemned an attempted drone attack near the Saudi city of Mecca, expressing solidarity with Saudi Arabia and calling for an end to actions that could further escalate regional tensions.
“Any act that threatens the safety and sanctity of Islam’s holiest city is completely unacceptable and deeply offensive to the entire Muslim Ummah,” Muizzu said in a post on X.
The Maldivian president expressed his country’s “full solidarity” with Saudi Arabia and praised what he described as the swift response of Saudi air defences.
He commended “the swift response of the Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces in safeguarding the Holy City, its pilgrims and residents.”
Muizzu also appealed for restraint and a return to diplomacy.
“We call for an immediate cessation of such attacks and urge all concerned to avoid further escalation and commit to the path of peace and dialogue,” he said.
The Saudi-led coalition said early Wednesday that Saudi air defences had intercepted and destroyed a drone near Mecca, attributing its launch to Yemen’s Houthi group. The Houthis, however, denied responsibility for the incident.
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said the drone was intercepted at around 6:50pm local time on Tuesday before it entered restricted airspace, with debris falling south of the city.