Old Video Shared as Recent Visuals of Houthi Drone Intercepted Over Mecca

We found out that the video is old and unrelated to the current situation in Saudi Arabia.

A video is being widely shared on social media, claiming to show a Houthi drone that tried to enter Mecca's airspace being intercepted and destroyed by Saudi Arabia's air defences.

• News channel ABP News also shared the same visuals with a similar claim.

(Archived versions of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is it true?: No, the claim is false. The video is old and shows an alleged Houthi missile being intercepted over Medina, Saudi Arabia.

How did we find out?: We ran a reverse image search on the video using Google Lens and found a video uploaded by Greater Kashmir, carrying similar visuals.

• The video was uploaded on 13 September 2025, with the caption, "Video captures alleged Houthi missile bound for Israel intercepted over Medina near the Prophet (SAW)’s Mosque"

• Enlish news daily The Times of India also shared the same video with the title, "Explosions In Saudi City: Missile Shot Down Near Prophet's Mosque In Holy Medina, RT Reports".

• The video, uploaded on 12 September 2025, states that the Saudi air defence forces intercepted an alleged Houthi drone which was purportedly fired towards Israel.

What happened recently:

• The video is going viral following Saudi Arabia announcing that they intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of the city of Mecca, on 15 September 2026.

• Yemen's Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, however, has denied allegations that the group had attempted to attack the holy city of Mecca.

Conclusion: The video is old and shows an alleged Houthi missile being intercepted over Medina, Saudi Arabia.

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