On Thursday, Saudi Arabia reported that debris from an intercepted Houthi drone caused the death of one individual and injured two others in the city of Taif. This incident occurred amid escalating clashes between the Iran-aligned Houthi forces and Saudi-backed Yemeni troops, as tensions in the broader Middle East continue to rise.
Reuters reported that thousands of Yemenis were fleeing by sea as fighting intensified, with more than 100,000 people displaced by the renewed conflict. It also reported that three children were killed in strikes by forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence said the falling debris caused “one death, two injuries, and material damage to several buildings and vehicles”. The person killed was a Yemeni national, while the injured included a Saudi citizen and a Pakistani resident, according to Saudi authorities. The incident came a day after Riyadh said it had intercepted a drone headed towards Mecca, Islam’s holiest city.
The Houthis denied targeting Mecca, while Iran’s Foreign Ministry urged against using claims over drone interceptions to escalate tensions. The renewed violence follows the collapse of a fragile truce in Yemen and a fresh Houthi offensive that has seen the group make gains along the Red Sea coast. Those claims could not be independently verified.
On Thursday, the Houthi-backed Almasirah television reported that Saudi warplanes had struck telecommunications towers in Taiz province, killing one civilian and injuring another.