A video claiming to show the interception of a Houthi drone over Makkah has gone viral on social media, attracting millions of views. However, a fact-check has revealed that the footage is not related to the recent incident and was already circulating online in September 2025.
Several social media posts claimed that Saudi air defenses had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone after it entered the airspace over Makkah. Some posts described the footage as evidence of an attempted Houthi attack on the holy city.
The viral video shows what appears to be an aerial target being intercepted or destroyed. Based on the footage, it was subsequently linked to the recent incident in Makkah. The video was widely shared across platforms, including X, with some posts receiving millions of views.
The confusion was partly caused by a genuine incident reported by Saudi authorities on September 15, when a Houthi drone was intercepted south of Makkah. According to Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Malki, the drone was destroyed before it could enter the prohibited airspace of the holy city.
The recent incident was subsequently linked to an old video, creating the impression that the footage showed the latest interception.
A search using relevant keywords and reverse-image verification traced the viral footage to posts from September 2025. The same footage had previously been shared on various platforms alongside different claims concerning Madinah. At the time, there was no clear official confirmation from Saudi authorities regarding the specific incident shown in the video.
In September 2025, the footage was circulated with claims involving an alleged explosion near the Prophet’s Mosque and reports of a missile-like object in the sky over Madinah. Other posts claimed that Saudi Arabia had intercepted a missile near the Prophet’s Mosque, while another unofficial claim suggested that an unauthorised drone had been intercepted in Madinah.
However, these claims were not clearly and officially verified by Saudi authorities at the time.
The current case therefore involves two separate incidents: an old video that was already circulating in September 2025, and the more recent statement by Saudi authorities concerning the interception of a Houthi drone south of Makkah in September 2026. Treating the two as the same incident is inaccurate.
According to Saudi authorities, the drone involved in the recent incident was intercepted before entering the prohibited airspace of Makkah. Therefore, the viral footage cannot be considered evidence of the latest operation.
The Houthi side has also denied targeting Makkah or other Islamic holy sites, adding further conflicting claims to the incident.
The case highlights how old images and videos can easily be repurposed to accompany claims about new events, particularly during conflicts or other sensitive situations. Such content can spread rapidly on social media, making it difficult for users to distinguish between verified information and misleading claims.
The key finding of the fact-check is that the recent Houthi drone incident near Makkah and the viral video are not the same event. The footage was already circulating in September 2025 and should not be presented as evidence of the September 2026 incident.
Saudi authorities’ position is that the drone was intercepted south of Makkah before it entered the holy city’s prohibited airspace. Therefore, describing the viral footage as authentic video of a Houthi attack on Makkah or of the recent Saudi interception is misleading.
The incident underscores the importance of verifying the original date, location and source of videos before sharing them, particularly when dealing with sensitive security-related developments and events involving Islamic holy sites.
