WATCH: Imam of the Holy Mosque in Mecca Fires Artillery into Yemen

The Imam of the Holy Mosque in Mecca, one of the most important religious officials in Saudi Arabia, has ceremonially fired Saudi artillery into Yemen. This YouTube video was tweeted out by Ali H. Soufan, the head of the Soufan Group, a New York-based security consultancy, earlier today:

The worst-case scenario for the Middle East is a regional sectarian war. When a prominent religious authority participates in military propaganda like this, it’s yet another sign that creeping, violent polarization could spread beyond the immediate situation in Yemen.