Saudi Arabia says debris from intercepted missiles falls in Makkah region

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia said debris from two ballistic missiles intercepted by its air defences fell in the Makkah region on Wednesday, as the kingdom and Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement exchanged attacks amid an escalating conflict.

The Houthis launched the missiles towards the region, and air defences intercepted and destroyed them, with debris falling in several locations, including Sabuhah village, Saudi Arabia's civil defence said in a statement.

The Houthis have repeatedly denied Saudi accusations that they target Makkah and Medina, Islam's two holiest cities, saying their military operations are directed at military and strategic targets elsewhere in Saudi Arabia. They have yet to comment on the latest incident.

"This hostile targeting of civilian objects constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and reflects the dangerous hostile approach pursued by the Houthi militia," Saudi Arabia's civil defence said early on Thursday.

The Houthis seized Yemen's capital, Sanaa, in 2014, prompting Saudi Arabia to intervene militarily the following year in support of the internationally recognised government.

A UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely froze the conflict, but hostilities resumed earlier this year, with the Houthis launching missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory and Riyadh carrying out air strikes in Yemen.

The latest escalation has threatened the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping route linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.