SAUDI ARABIA SHOOTS DOWN HOUTHI DRONE NEAR MECCA

 Saudi Arabia says it shot down Houthi drone south of Mecca

Image source,
Reuters

Image caption,

The Houthis denied they had targeted Mecca, where Islam's most sacred shrine is located

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blished5Saudi Arabia interceptedand destroyed a Houthi droe south of the Islamic holy city of Mecca on Tuesday evening, according to the spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

Turki al-Maliki said the targeting of Mecca, which is the home of Islam's most sacred shrine and the focal point of the Hajj pilgrimage, was a "disgraceful act".

The 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation said attacks on Mecca and Medina province, where Islam's second holiest shrine is located, constituted an "unacceptable and intolerable transgression".

But the Houthis, an Iran-backed armed group that controls much of western Yemen, denied targeting Mecca and accused Saudi Arabia of "fabrications and lies".

"There is no threat whatsoever from Yemen to the holy sites. Our operations target their oil facilities and military bases, and are far removed from the holy places," military spokesman Yahya Sarea said.

Sarea added that the Houthis had launched drones and missiles at Saudi Arabia in retaliation for more than 450 Saudi air strikes on their territory over the past week.

Full article at : Saudi Arabia says it shot down Houthi drone south of Mecca - BBC News