You won't get al Qaida to stand down their Holy War just because you blew up a couple of their sacred sites. They're goal is to rule the world and everything in it.
And after you blow up Mecca and Medina, what are you going to hold over their heads next?
Six feet of dirt. That's what.
And after you blow up Mecca and Medina, what are you going to hold over their heads next?
I'm not in favor of blowing up mecca or medina, unless Saudi Arabia, itself, through direct action, attacked the United States.
I also don't think threatening to blow them up or nuke them, is much of a deterrent either.
What I am saying, is they wouldn't be happy to see their holy lands destroyed, and they certainly would not want the US to do it, or anyone to do it.
That doesn't mean we should do it anyway. I don't see any value of attacking a couple of cities in a country, that is not, at this time, engaged in a direct war with us, just as I would not bomb paris unless France attacked the United States.
I also don't think terrorists can be that easily blackmailed, otherwise Israel could have saber ratteled the middle east decades ago when they were engaged in direct war with arab neighbors and the threat was real enough.
Qom, Damascus, and Riyadh.
L