Houthi escalation crosses a sacred threshold

RIYADH — For years, the Houthis have wrapped their wars in the language of religion, resistance and the defense of Muslim causes. But the latest escalation in Saudi Arabia presents a stark contradiction: as Houthi missiles and drones strike Saudi cities, the shadow of that campaign is moving closer to the city toward which Muslims everywhere turn in prayer.Saudi Civil Defense sounded early-warning sirens in Makkah before announcing that the danger had passed on Tuesday. Similar warnings were activated and later lifted in Jeddah and Taif.Saudi authorities have not disclosed the nature or source of the threat to Makkah, but the warning did not occur in isolation.The Houthis have sharply escalated attacks on the Kingdom, using ballistic missiles and drones against civilian areas and infrastructure. On Monday alone, attacks on Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif injured 13 civilians and damaged seven homes and two vehicles, according to the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen.That escalation raises a question the Houthis’ religious rhetoric cannot easily escape.Makkah is not simply another point on a military map. It is home to the Grand Mosque and the Holy Kaaba, the qibla of Muslims worldwide. Bringing warfare and its dangers toward its surroundings exposes the gulf between a movement that invokes Islam in its political messaging and military actions that can place Muslim civilians — and the wider security environment surrounding Islam’s holiest city — at risk.The sirens eventually fell silent. The contradiction they exposed did not.