RIYADH: The grand mufti of Malaysia has strongly condemned the Iran-backed Houthis’ targeting of holy sites — including pilgrims heading to the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah — and civilian facilities in various parts of the Kingdom, along with the killing of innocent people, describing the militia’s actions as among the gravest crimes and acts of aggression.
In a video posted on X by the Muslim World League — a Makkah-based independent international organization comprising members from Islamic countries that promotes Islam by advancing moderate values — Sheikh Ahmad Fauwaz Fadzil, mufti of the Federal Territories of Malaysia, strongly condemned the Houthi militia’s attacks on Islamic holy sites and civilian facilities in the Kingdom.
He said: “I wish to clearly state that I personally condemn the attack against Saudi Arabia. We consider this attack a grave crime, an act of aggression against an Islamic state and an unlawful act of aggression against Muslims.”
He added that history had never witnessed actions like those of a group which targeted holy sites and those who visited them. He warned that those who committed such acts faced destruction and severe punishment.
Saudi capital Riyadh, Abha in the southwest and Dammam in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia have been under threat from the Houthis as missiles and drones have been intercepted on a regular basis. Makkah and Madinah are also under threat.
Two people were killed and eight others injured in an attack that targeted Dammam airport on Wednesday, according to the General Authority of Civil Aviation.
The fatalities included one Saudi citizen and an Indian resident, while, the authority reported, the eight people injured included “one citizen, two residents each of Indian, Yemeni, and Bangladeshi nationalities, (and) one resident of Nepalese nationality.”
The authority added: “Their injuries range from minor to severe, and they are currently receiving necessary medical care in a number of hospitals.”
The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen’s spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said on Thursday that a drone had been intercepted and destroyed in the Riyadh region.