SAUDI ARABIA REPORTS MISSILE DEBRIS IN MECCA AND MEDINA

Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency said debris fell in the Mecca and Medina regions after the interception of two ballistic missiles on Saturday. The agency said some debris landed in Wadi Mughamas, outside Mecca. It attributed the missiles to Yemen’s Houthi group. The Houthis denied targeting either holy city. Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesman, called the suggestion that it aimed at Mecca and Medina “a great and huge lie”.

The Houthis said they had targeted three Saudi airports, energy installations, an oil pipeline and an air base during the previous 24 hours. Saree said the group fired missiles at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh in two phases. The group accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out strikes that it said killed 17 people. The latest attacks also reached areas held by Yemen’s internationally recognised government. Mecca is home to the Grand Mosque complex and the Kaaba, which Muslims regard as Islam’s holiest shrine.

Egypt pledged support for Saudi Arabia amid the attacks attributed to the Houthis. Al-Azhar called for an urgent mediation committee to end violence across the Middle East. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps separately warned of a severe response to any attack on Iranian energy infrastructure. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Washington against renewed military action and accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of pushing the United States towards another war.