Saudi-led anti-Houthi coalition downs drone headed toward Mecca

The Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis said it intercepted a drone over the Mecca region following a series of attacks by the Iran-backed militants against the kingdom.

"Interception and destruction of a drone in the Mecca region," Turki al-Malki, the coalition's spokesperson wrote on social media, without elaborating on the source of the attack.

The interception came a day after the coalition said that it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile and two drones fired by the Houthis toward Saudi territory.

Mecca is home to one of Islam's holiest sites, the Kabba, which draws millions of pilgrims every year, making it a red line for Saudi Arabia and the Muslim world in general.

The development follows escalating hostilities between the Houthi group and the Saudi-led coalition, which supports Yemen's internationally recognized government.

Earlier Tuesday, the Houthis claimed that Saudi strikes had killed 17 civilians over two days this week.

The Houthi Health Ministry said in a statement that most of the people killed were children, "which shows that Saudi aircraft are targeting homes, residential neighborhoods and markets."

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said Monday evening that Riyadh had carried out "109 strikes over the past 24 hours" in Yemen, targeting the governorates of Saada, Taiz, Lahj, al-Jawf and Hodeidah.

The group also claimed drone attacks on Saudi airports in the east and south of the kingdom.

Yemen has been beset by war since 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa, with a Saudi-led coalition entering the conflict a year later in support of the government.

A 2022 truce fell apart in July and, in September, the Houthis launched an offensive to capture the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which links Europe to Asia via the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

The United Nations says more than 1,600 people have been killed and more than 300,000 displaced since fighting resumed in the impoverished country.