More than 1.83 million Muslims from around the world congregated on Saturday for the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia for worship and reflection.

Staving off potential protests or chants about the war during the Hajj, Saudi authorities said they won't tolerate politicizing the pilgrimage. In his sermon Saturday at the sprawling, six-minaret Namera mosque in Arafat, Saudi cleric Maher Bin Hamad al-Mu'aiqly, also cautioned about politicizing Hajj.

However, some have not listened to his message. Videos surfaced from the pilgrimage site of Iranian men and women politicizing the holy event. Chanting "Death to Israel" and "Death to America" and holding up placards of hate, criticizing the war in Gaza.

Video: Iranian Hajj pilgrims chanted 'Death to Israel' and 'Death to America' / Credit: X

The ritual at Mount Arafat, known as the hill of mercy, is considered the peak of the Hajj pilgrimage. It is often the most memorable for pilgrims, who stand together asking God for mercy, blessings, prosperity, and good health. It's believed that Prophet Muhammad delivered his final speech, known as the "Farewell Sermon," at Mount Arafat 1,435 years ago. In the sermon, the prophet called for equality and unity among Muslims. The hill is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of Mecca.

Hajj is one of the largest religious gatherings on earth. The rituals officially started Friday when pilgrims moved from Mecca's Grand Mosque to Mina, a desert plain just outside the city. The pilgrimage is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. All Muslims are required to make the five-day Hajj at least once in their lives if they are physically and financially able to do so. The rituals largely commemorate the Quran's accounts of Prophet Ibrahim, his son, Prophet Ismail, and Ismail's mother Hajar – or Abraham, Ishmael, and Hagar as they are named in the Bible.

This year's Hajj came against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war, which pushed the Middle East to the brink of a regional conflict. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip weren't able to travel to Mecca for Hajj this year because of the closure of the Rafah crossing in May, when Israel extended its ground offensive to the city on the border with Egypt.

Iranian Hajj pilgrims chanted "Death to Israel" and held "Death to America" placards during the annual pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, despite Riyadh authorities warning against any political slogans, a video published by IRGC-affiliated outlets shows. pic.twitter.com/WaCHpAhPRx

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) June 15, 2024

At sunset Saturday, pilgrims left Mount Arafat, heading to a nearby site known as Muzdalifa to collect pebbles that they will use in the symbolic stoning of pillars representing the devil back in Mina. Pilgrims then return to Mina for three days, coinciding with the festive Eid al-Adha holiday, when financially able Muslims around the world slaughter livestock and distribute the meat to poor people. Afterward, they return to Mecca for a final circumambulation, known as Farewell Tawaf.

Once the Hajj is over, men are expected to shave their heads, and women to snip a lock of hair in a sign of renewal. Most pilgrims then leave Mecca for Medina, about 340 kilometers (210 miles) away, to pray in prophet Muhammad's tomb, the Sacred Chamber. The tomb is part of the prophet's mosque, which is one of the three holiest sites in Islam, along with the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

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Senior officials said there had been no major incidents and the logistical, security and health plans had been successful, even with some heavy rainfall.

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Saudi Arabia stakes its reputation on its guardianship of Islam's holiest sites, Mecca and Medina, and its organization of the pilgrimage. It hopes to continue expanding attendance to help build its tourism industry.

Pilgrims participated in a symbolic stoning of the devil, part of the hajj rituals, in Jamarat before returning to Mecca, where the Grand Mosque filled with worshippers preparing to depart.

Saudi pilgrim Jasem Ali Haqawi said he was grateful to the authorities for a well-run week of rituals.

"Nobody comes to the hajj without things inside him that he wants to ask from God," he said while preparing to conduct final prayers in Mecca. "The sick, the indebted … such things only God can grant and so you ask God for whatever you want."

Nearly 2.5 million pilgrims, most of them from abroad, came for the five-day ritual this year. Attendance is a religious duty, once in a lifetime, for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it.

More than 120,000 members of the security forces and more than 30,000 health workers were on hand this week to maintain safety and provide first aid.

A crush in 2015 killed nearly 800 pilgrims, according to Riyadh, when two large groups of pilgrims arrived at a crossroads east of Mecca. Counts by countries of repatriated bodies showed that 2,000-plus people may have died, including more than 400 Iranians.

Saudi authorities said at the time that the crush may have been caused by pilgrims failing to follow crowd control rules. King Salman ordered an investigation but the results were never announced.

Iran boycotted the hajj the following year, partly in response to the crush and a diplomatic rift between the two countries.

Iranians attended this year as Riyadh and Tehran continue to struggle for regional supremacy. Tensions are particularly high after the seizure of commercial vessels and attacks on tankers near the Strait of Hormuz.

The narrow waterway separating the two countries has become the focus of a standoff between Tehran and Washington, which has beefed up its military presence in the Gulf since May.

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"The trick called the 'deal of the century', which is being pushed by an oppressive America and its traitorous companions, is a crime against humanity, and not just the Palestinian people," state television quoted Khamenei as saying in a message to Muslim pilgrims performing the annual hajj in Saudi Arabia.

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"We call upon everyone to take an active part in defeating this deceit by the enemy," Khamenei said in a message read at a rally held by Iranian pilgrims, state television reported.

Saudi officials have asked Muslims to focus on rituals of worship and warned against politicizing the rite amid regional wars and heightened tension between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shiite Muslim Iran.

The White House has yet to unveil US President Donald Trump's full Middle East peace plan that aims to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and is led by Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Kushner has so far presented a $50-billion economic revival plan for the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon that is dependent on Israel and the Palestinians reaching a political settlement to their decades-old conflict.

The Palestinian leadership has broken off diplomatic ties with the White House, accusing Trump's administration of bias toward Israel.

Washington has not said when it will present the full peace plan.

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Over 1,600,000 pilgrims have already arrived in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, according to the Saudi government. The majority of them are residing in Mecca, the holiest city for Muslims, while others are staying in Medina, the ministry added.

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With all guns blazing, the parade portrayed training exercises of Saudi security forces taking on armed attackers and tackling blazing buildings. The event is annually held to reflect on the preparations to ensure the safety of pilgrims.

Video: Reuters

Every able-bodied Muslim is supposed to undertake the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime.

The pilgrimage traditionally takes place from the eighth to the 12th of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar.

Because the Islamic calendar is lunar and the Islamic year is about eleven days shorter than the Gregorian year, the Gregorian date of Hajj changes from year to year.

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"The Saudi regime is trying, through these allegations, to rally support for its brutal aggression against our great Yemeni people," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said on Facebook.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are leading a Western-backed coalition of Sunni Muslim states that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognized government ousted from power in Sanaa by the Houthis in late 2014.

Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV, citing eyewitnesses, reported that Saudi air defense forces intercepted two ballistic missiles above the western cities of Taif and Jeddah. The first one had been directed towards Mecca, it said, without giving evidence.

A spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

More than 2 million Muslims from around the world make the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Many also visit the city during the holy month of Ramadan, which is currently underway.

Riyadh has accused Iran of ordering last week's drone strikes on two oil pumping stations in the kingdom, for which the Houthis claimed responsibility. Tehran denied doing so.

Washington and Tehran have been sparring over sanctions and the U.S. military presence in the region, raising concerns about a potential conflict between the United States and Iran.

On Sunday, the Houthi-run Saba News Agency said the group would start military operations against 300 vital military targets, including headquarters and facilities, in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and coalition targets inside Yemen.

Yemen's conflict is widely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Houthis deny being Iranian puppets and say they are waging a revolution against corruption.

The strikes on Aramco pumping stations came two days after attacks on vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, off the coast of the UAE, which no one has claimed responsibility for.

The UAE has not blamed anyone pending an investigation. Two U.S. government sources said last week that U.S. officials believed Iran encouraged the Houthis or Iraq-based Shiite Muslim militias to carry out the attacks.

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted Saudi cities and oil installations with missiles and drones, mostly in border areas. Twice, in 2016 and 2017, the coalition said the group had launched a missile towards Mecca, but the movement said it was targeting nearby airports.

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