Iraqi Sunni politician urges closure of Houthi offices after Mecca drone claim

BAGHDAD — The head of the Iraq National Project called on Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and other Arab and Muslim governments to close Houthi offices on their territory, after Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a drone aimed at Mecca.

Saudi air defences destroyed a drone south of Mecca on Tuesday before it entered restricted airspace over the city, according to the Saudi-led coalition, which attributed it to the Houthis and called it the second known attempt on Mecca since a ballistic missile in 2017. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree denied the group had targeted Mecca or other religious sites, calling the allegation a fabrication for propaganda.

“The targeting of holy Mecca, the qibla of Muslims and the destination of their hearts in the east and west of the world, is a dangerous escalation that violates the sanctity of the Two Holy Mosques and threatens the security of pilgrims to the House of God,” Jamal al-Dhari wrote on Facebook. It required “a unified and firm Arab and Islamic position toward the Houthi militia and those who support it.”

“The least that is expected from Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi and all Arab and Islamic countries that host offices or representatives of the Houthis is to take legal measures to close them and end their presence on their territories,” he said, describing the group as terrorist-designated and saying governments should reject “any cover or leniency” toward it.

The Houthis have had a presence in Baghdad for years. Iraqi media identify Abu Idris Ahmed al-Sharafi as the group’s representative and report a Houthi-linked office in Jadriya, though its formal status is unclear and Iraqi officials have not publicly confirmed it is a licensed diplomatic or representative mission.

Dhari is a senior figure in the Zoba tribe and leads a Sunni party that won a single seat in the 2021 parliamentary elections.