Saudi-led coalition says it downs Houthi drone over Medina; Houthis deny attack

The ​Saudi-led coalition fighting ‌in Yemen ​said on Friday it had intercepted and destroyed ‌a drone launched by Yemen's Houthis over Saudi Arabia's Medina region, but the Iran-aligned ‌group denied carrying out any attack ‌towards the kingdom.

Medina is home to one of Islam's holiest sites and is visited by ⁠millions ​of ⁠Muslim pilgrims each year. Cross-border attacks involving the ⁠Saudi-led coalition, which backs Yemen's internationally recognised government, ​and the Houthis, who control the capital ⁠Sanaa, have intensified amid the US-Israeli war on ⁠Iran, ​opening another front in the conflict.

The Houthis have repeatedly denied targeting ⁠Mecca and Medina, Islam's two holiest cities, rejecting ⁠previous ⁠Saudi-led coalition accusations that it had launched drones towards the cities.