In the shadow of Islam's holiest city, a drone was brought down before it could cross into Mecca's airspace — a moment that compressed centuries of religious meaning into a single act of modern warfare. Saudi Arabia's air defenses intercepted the Houthi aircraft south of the city on Tuesday, prompting the coalition to declare the sanctity of Mecca and Medina a 'red line' with military consequences. The Houthis denied any intent to strike the sacred site, but the incident — the second such allegation in nearly a decade — has drawn the world's 57 Muslim-majority nations into condemnation and pul