Saudi Arabia says it shot down a Houthi drone heading for Mecca; Houthis deny it

The Saudi-led coalition said air defences destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca as it tried to enter the holy city's airspace, calling it the second attempt on Mecca after a 2017 missile. A Houthi politburo member called the claim a 'nauseating lie.' Several Muslim-majority governments condemned the attempt.

Why this matters. An attack claim on Islam's holiest city raises the political stakes of the Saudi-Houthi war and fed Pakistani talk of invoking the Mecca defence pact.