What twisty mountain roads? Are you aware that the Saudi Arabian peninsula is crisscrossed by a modern highway system that carves straight through the mountains? This isn’t 2005 Afghanistan. There’s also rail lines for heavier equipment.

The highway system also begins at Jeddah a major port city, and goes around Makkah, to avoid that very issue. There is no reason a US convoy would enter Makkah’s city limits.

[–] PanArab@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

The طريق الهدا connects Makkah to Taif and is also used to bypass Makkah from the south.

Look it up. I've only driven through it a few times.

There is another طريق السيل الكبير which bypasses Makkah from the north it is flatter but still narrow and bendy and packed with trucks.

The road you posted I bet is somewhere in Najd, the topography looks nothing like the mountains of Hijaz.

There's no rail lines west of Riyadh except a passanger HSR connecting Makkah to Medina. Though gondolas could be an option, maybe...