People took to the streets in Sana’a, Sa’ada, and other provinces across Yemen, carrying banners and chanting slogans in support of Iran, Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Gaza.
Demonstrators highlighted Iran’s steadfastness in confronting its adversaries, particularly the United States and Israel, and stressed the importance of maintaining preparedness for future challenges and confrontations.
Condemning remarks by US President Donald Trump deemed insulting to the holy city of Mecca, participants also carried images of Mecca and banners expressing solidarity with Islamic sanctities, declaring their readiness to defend holy sites and rejecting American and Zionist plans targeting the Muslim world and its sacred symbols.
A statement issued during the rallies said the gatherings were held in response to repeated and deliberate offences against Islamic holy sites and symbols, most recently Trump’s remarks concerning Mecca, Press TV reported.
It described the comments as an insult to one of Islam’s holiest places and reiterated rejection of repeated attacks on Islamic sanctities, warning that the continuation of such incidents has been encouraged by the silence and inaction of governments and peoples across the Muslim world.
A social media post by Trump has sparked fury across the Muslim world, in which he wrote that the Obama Library would become a “Mecca” for those who hate America.
The remarks sparked widespread reactions across social media and drew criticism from various quarters, including Iran’s embassy in Tunisia, which urged Trump not to "insult our holy Mecca."
Activists across Muslim countries and beyond have since called for large-scale demonstrations to protest repeated insults by Trump against Islam and Muslims.