Fact check: Viral video does not show Saudi Arabia intercepting Houthi drone over Makkah

In recent days, the Houthis have carried out a series of missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi territory, while Saudi Arabia has intensified its military response. On September 15, Saudi authorities said their air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Makkah before it entered the restricted airspace of the holy city.

Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Malki described the incident as the second reported attempt to target Makkah, following a ballistic missile launch in 2017, and said the security of the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims was a “red line”. The Houthis, however, denied targeting Makkah or any other Islamic holy site.

How it started. On September 16, journalist Ahmed Quraishi shared avideoon X of a drone entering Makkah’s airspace and being intercepted by Saudi air defence. The post carried the following caption:“Breaking: Saudi Air Defence intercepted and destroyed a drone that entered Makkah’s airspace.

The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen says the ‘attempt to target Makkah with a drone will remain a black mark in the record of Houthi violations’ and that the security of the holy sites in Makkah and Madinah ‘is a red line’.

Iran’s Iraqi and Yemeni militias have tried to target the Makkah region since 2017 with missiles and drones.”The post gained three million views. Another user on X shared the samevideoon the same day with the following caption: “Saudi air defences downed a drone over Makkah overnight.

Only the second attack ever on the holy city. The last was in 2017. Saudi-led coalition spokesman.”The post gained 145,000 views.

The same video was simultaneously shared by other users on X, as can be seenhere, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, hereandhere, collectively gaining 34,962 views.

MethodologyA fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest surrounding the purported interception of a Houthi drone in Makkah’s airspace and the security of the holy sites.

A keyword search was conducted to verify whether any credible Saudi or international media outlets had published or broadcast the same viral visuals in connection with the Makkah incident, but yielded no results. A reverse image search was subsequently conducted to trace the origin of the viral clip and yielded avideoshared by media outlet.

Islam Channelon Facebook on September 12, 2025, with the caption: “Witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion near Masjid an-Nabawi in Madinah and described seeing a missile-like object in the sky, though authorities have not yet issued any official confirmation or statement.”The samevideowas also shared by another media outlet, Muslim News, on Instagram in September 2025, with the following caption: “Saudi Arabia intercepts missile flown at close proximity to Masjid An Nabawi in Madinah.

No official reports from Saudi, however, it’s speculated that it was a Yemeni missile heading towards Israel.”View this post on InstagramA keyword search yielded a Sept 16, 2025, X post by.

Inside the Haramain, an unofficial media outlet that shares news and updates related to the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, that said: “A an unauthorised drone was intercepted and shot down at approximately 5:40am last Thursday in the holy city of Madinah and the case is closed.”A an unauthorised drone was intercepted and shot down at approximately 5:40 AM last Thursday in the holy city of Madinah and the case is closed.https://t.co/8GMP3t64BS— Inside the Haramain (@insharifain)September 16, 2025Moreover, recent news reports by credible media outlets.

The Guardian, Al-Jazeera, CNN, Deutsche Welleand. Reuterson the drone attack on Makkah also stated that the drone was intercepted south of Makkah before it entered the prohibited airspace of the holy city, whereas the viral caption and visuals claim that the drone had already entered Makkah’s airspace.

Fact-check status: false. The claim that a viral video shows the Saudi-led coalition intercepting an alleged Houthi drone entering Makkah’s airspace isfalse. The viral clip is old, from September 2025, when a missile was seen in Madinah’s sky.

This fact check was originally published byi. Verify Pakistan— a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.