The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said on Friday that it had intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen’s Houthis over Saudi Arabia’s Medina region, Reuters reported. Medina is home to the Prophet’s Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites, and is visited by millions of Muslim pilgrims each year. The coalition had earlier on Friday also reported intercepting a drone over the Mecca region. The Houthis denied launching any attack towards Saudi territory on Friday. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree dismissed the coalition’s account as false, saying the group’s operations target Saudi oil facilities and military bases. The group has repeatedly denied targeting Mecca and Medina, Islam’s two holiest cities. Reuters reported that cross-border attacks between the coalition, which backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government, and the Iran-aligned Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa, have intensified, opening another front in the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Sources: Reuters — https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-led-coalition-says-it-destroyed-houthi-drone-over-medina-region-2026-10-30/ and https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/yemens-houthis-deny-launching-drone-after-coalition-reports-interception-mecca-2026-10-30/
