DOMINANT ANGLE
Dhaka is alarmed by the growing risk to Mecca and the major maritime routes of the Gulf, two vital arteries for Bangladeshi pilgrims and expatriate workers.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
A Houthi drone was intercepted Tuesday at 18:50 Saudi time south of Mecca, the second attempt of its kind after a ballistic missile launch in 2017, according to General Turki Al-Malki.
- 02
Thirteen civilians were injured Monday by ballistic missile and drone strikes on Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Taif, according to the Arab coalition led by Riyadh.
- 03
The UN migration agency has recorded 93,864 displaced people in Yemen since the resumption of fighting in July, after the Houthis took control of the port of Mokha and Mayyoun Island.
ANALYSIS
Dhaka, September 16, 2026. For the Bangladeshi press, the dominant news is not only the collapse of traffic in the Strait of Ormuz, but the direct threat now looming over Mecca, the holy city to which millions of Bangladeshi pilgrims travel every year. TBS Top News and the Daily Star report that Saudi air defenses intercepted a Houthi drone south of the city on Tuesday evening at 6:50 pm local time, before it entered the restricted airspace. The coalition's spokesman, General Turki Al-Malki, described the attempt as a "red line", specifying that it was the second attempt of this type targeting Mecca since a ballistic missile strike in 2017. The Houthis denied targeting the city, with a representative of their political office, Mohammed al-Farah, calling it a "pure lie" relayed by the SABA agency.
This statement comes after a week of attacks that injured thirteen civilians on Monday in Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Taif, and more than seventy people in total over the previous week, including women and children. Riyadh warned that it would react "firmly" to protect its sovereignty.
At sea, the capture of the port of Mokha and the island of Mayyoun by the Houthis, who now control the entire Red Sea coast of Yemen, is shifting Saudi oil exports to Bab al-Mandeb at a time when the Strait of Ormuz is almost paralyzed by the war between Washington and Tehran. The UN migration agency reports 93,864 displaced people since the resumption of fighting in July. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, received in Cairo by President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, called for "guaranteeing the freedom and security of navigation" in the two straits; the Egyptian presidency recalls that the Suez Canal, on which Cairo's revenues depend, is also suffering from the crisis. According to the American press cited by the Daily Star, Riyadh had requested a direct intervention from President Donald Trump in vain.
The meeting scheduled between Iran and the Gulf States on navigation in Ormuz, postponed at Riyadh's request, adds to the uncertainty as crude oil prices have exceeded $100 a barrel after the attack that put the Saudi east-west oil pipeline out of service, which can handle 4% of the world's supply.
SOURCES (2)
- TBS Top NewsMEDIUM
- The Daily Star WorldMEDIUM