Houthis report Saudi strikes as Riyadh accuses them of targeting Mecca

Riyadh – Yemen’s Houthis reported fresh Saudi airstrikes on Wednesday, as Riyadh accused the group of launching a “cowardly” attack targeting Islam’s holy city of Mecca. The Houthis swiftly rejected as a “lie” Riyadh’s early morning statement that it had shot down a drone heading towards Mecca, but the accusation prompted a chorus of outrage from around the Muslim world. Renewed fighting between the Houthis and Yemen’s Riyadh-backed government has dragged in the kingdom, after the Houthis declared a maritime blockade on Saudi ships in the Red Sea.