Multiple users have been sharing a video on X since September 16, claiming to show Saudi air defences intercepting an alleged Houthi drone after it entered Makkah’s airspace. However, the video is from September 2025 and shows a missile over Madinah.

Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement have witnessed a renewed escalation in hostilities after a period of relative calm following the 2022 truce. 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 a video on 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 same video on 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 seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here, collectively gaining 34,962 views.

Methodology

A 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 a video shared by media outlet Islam Channel on 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 same video was 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.”

A 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 source told Inside the Haramain that 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.”

Moreover, recent news reports by credible media outlets The Guardian, Al-Jazeera, CNN, Deutsche Welle and Reuters on 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 is false.

The viral clip is old, from September 2025, when a missile was seen in Madinah’s sky.

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