Saudi air defense forces just intercepted an explosive Houthi drone flying south of Mecca. The close call exposes the fatal strategic rot inside the “Mecca Pact” — Riyadh’s reliance on Pakistan, Turkey, and Qatar for regional security. As this terrorist event has proven, this arrangement is an existential mirage. Must a Houthi-launched munition actually detonate inside the Kaaba before the House of Saud abandons its self-defeating delusions?

Islamic history warns that fanciful alliances invite catastrophe. In 1529, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent grandly promised to defend Sunni Islam’s holiest domains. Yet, Ottoman imperial forces consistently prioritized European conquest over securing the Hejaz, leaving western Arabia completely vulnerable to Portuguese naval raids. Today, Riyadh repeats this exact historical error, trusting partners who possess neither the capability nor the political will to fight Iran’s violent regional proxies.