Sana'a (Debriefer) - The Saudi prohibition of people from arriving in the Kingdom to perform the hajj rites this year is a systematical plot serving the American-Zionist project, Yemen's Houthis said Wednesday.
To curb Covid-19 spread, hajj this year has been limited to nearly 10,000 Muslims residing in the Kingdom, compared to last year's 2.5 million hajjis from around the world.
But for the Houthi religious guidance ministry, this comes "as part of the uncovered role played by the Saudi regime in favor of Islam" since "many countries including Saudi Arabia have lifted health restrictions."
The Saudi step is a "flagrant politicization of hajj," it said in a statement, dubbing the Saudi as "incapacitated, illegitimate regime on which the two Holly Mosques can't be depended."
The Houthi ministry called on Muslim countries to "deplore this move and make the Saudi regime desist from Islamic sanctuaries."
Earlier on Wednesday, pilgrims began hajj rituals by going around the Kaaba, while societally distancing as a precaution against coronavirus.
Prior to hajj services, the Saudi authorities tested all visitors for Covid-19, before keeping them in quarantine for 5 days in Mecca hotels.
