Middle East live: Saudi Arabia accuses Houthi rebels of launching a drone strike on Mecca
Saudi Arabia's air defences claim to have intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca on Tuesday, which the Iran-aligned rebels denied. Meanwhile, several explosions were heard on the island of Qeshm, near the Strait of Hormuz. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
Saudi Arabia's air defences intercepted and destroyed a drone south of Mecca on Tuesday, according to the Saudi-led military coalition. The coalition's spokesperson, Major General Turki Al-Maliki, stated that the drone was launched by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels and was heading into the holy city's prohibited airspace.
The incident prompted security alerts for Mecca, Jeddah, and Taif, which were later lifted after authorities said the danger had passed. The Houthi rebels denied posing any threat to Mecca or other holy sites.
Explosions were also reported on Iran's Qeshm Island, near the Strait of Hormuz, with local sources citing the sounds as coming from the direction of the sea.
Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, The Vibes, Al Jazeera, Ajel English, Live Mint — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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