First Thing: Houthis appear to target Mecca as House votes to end Trump’s war on Iran
Vote comes amid Republican call to impeach defense secretary Pete Hegseth. Plus a catnapped bodega cat in Brooklyn is returned home Good morning. Saudi Arabia’s air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca yesterday before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city. A spokesperson for the kingdom, which is fighting the Iran-aligned group in Yemen, said the security…
Yesterday, Saudi Arabia's air defenses successfully intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of the holy city of Mecca, preventing it from entering prohibited airspace. The kingdom's spokesperson emphasized that the security of Islam's two most sacred sites, Mecca and Medina, as well as the safety of pilgrims, is a "red line" that must not be violated.
In Washington, the US House of Representatives voted for the third time to end the war in Iran, approving a war powers resolution following a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report. The report revealed that the conflict had cost at least $38 billion and left the US stockpile of defensive missiles depleted, with a potential five-year timeline required to rebuild the missiles.
Republican congressman Thomas Massie proposed impeaching defense secretary Pete Hegseth, alleging that he had repeatedly violated the constitution through his handling of the war with Iran and the deaths of civilians in conflicts globally. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has been informally notified about a deal to deliver powerful 2,000lb bombs to Israel, a move that initially raised concerns about the potential for mass casualties in Gaza.
The Biden administration postponed the delivery of these weapons two years ago due to similar concerns.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian US's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
