Saudi Arabia says it shot down a drone over the Mecca region as its war with the Houthis heats up

The Saudi-led coalition said Tuesday it intercepted and destroyed a drone over the Mecca region, home to Islam's holiest city. Spokesman Turki al-Malki did not say who launched it, AFP and the Saudi Press Agency report. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied any attack on Saudi territory Tuesday and called the claim "a slanderous and recycled lie."

It follows Monday's interceptions of a Houthi ballistic missile aimed at southern Saudi Arabia and two drones over the Riyadh region, Arab News and Anadolu report. The Houthis say Saudi airstrikes killed 17 civilians in Yemen over two days, and Saree claimed 109 Saudi strikes in 24 hours across five provinces. The Houthis also claim drone attacks on Saudi airports in the east and south; a Houthi military source told Tasnim that Aramco facilities are "in direct firing range."

The 2022 truce collapsed in July. In September the Houthis took ground overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea chokepoint. The UN says more than 1,600 people have been killed since fighting resumed.