We and our partners do the following data processing based on your consent: store and/or access information on a device, personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development Middle East live: Saudi Arabia accuses Houthi rebels of launching a drone strike on Mecca (FILE) Faithful tour the sacred Kaaba in the Great Mosque of Mecca, the most sacred site of Islam, on June 27, 2023. © Sajjad Hussain, Saudi Arabia's air defences claim to have intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca on Tuesday, which the Iran-aligned rebels denied. Meanwhile, several explosions were heard on the island of Qeshm, near the Strait of Hormuz. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
The US federal government is on track to approve a $2.8 billion arms package for Israel, US media reported Tuesday, with the sale of 40,000 one-ton bombs among the largest munitions packages sold in recent years. The Washington Post said the package – funded with US taxpayer dollars – featured some of the most destructive munitions in Western arsenals, including 20,000 MK-84s, 20,000 BLU-117s, and 20,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads. The New York Times said the administration of US President Donald Trump had approved the sale, citing a US official.
A senior administration official told that "all foreign arms sales are moving through the appropriate process," but wouldn't comment on pending transactions. Meanwhile, a State Department spokesperson told that "as a matter of policy, the Department does not confirm or comment on proposed arms sales until they have been formally notified to Congress." Several explosions were heard on Iran's Qeshm island, Iranian official IRNA news agency reported, citing local sources as saying, adding the sounds appeared to have come from the direction of the sea. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation condemned Wednesday the Houthis' "heinous" attack on Islam's holy city Mecca, which the rebel group has denied.
"The General Secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemns the heinous attacks carried out by the Houthi group against the city of Makkah and the Madinah region, as well as its ongoing aggression against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the OIC said in a statement posted on X. Houthi official says Saudi claim of an attack on Mecca a 'lie' Saudi Arabia says it intercepted Houthi drone south of Mecca Saudi Arabia's air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca on Tuesday before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city, said a spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition fighting Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis. The security of Islam's two holiest sites and of pilgrims was a "red line," coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki said early on Wednesday, adding that the coalition would take necessary deterrent measures against the Houthis.
Mecca, home to shrines sacred to Muslims worldwide, is Islam's holiest city and the focal point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, which millions of Muslims undertake each year. Malki described the incident as the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca, following what the coalition said was a ballistic missile launch in July 2017. Welcome to the France 24 liveblog covering events in the Middle East.
You can catch up on yesterday's developments here. •Saudi Arabia vowed to respond "firmly" to attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels after the Iran-backed fighters wounded 13 people in the kingdom’s south following a series of drone and missile attacks. • Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met in Cairo for talks on security freedom and security of navigation in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea. • The US Defense Department's inspector general revealed that the United States is facing a shortfall in ammunition as a result of its costly war in Iran, which has cost the US $38 billion so far. 1. 1 ## Macron, Carney to visit North Atlantic French islands after Trump's map post Americas 2. 2 ## US Space Force confirms weapons deployed in space for first time Americas 3. 3 ## France apologises for diplomatic spat with US to lift block on new ambassador to Washington France 4. 4 ## Sweden's centre-left holds razor-thin edge as exit polls show tight race Europe 5. 5 ## French candidates race to claim the cost-of-living issue ahead of 2027 vote Analysis France 6. 6 ## Trump says 'open' to holding talks with Iran As it happened Middle East © 2026 Copyright France 24 - All rights reserved. France 24 is not responsible for the content of external websites. Audience ratings certified by ACPM.ACPM The content you requested does not exist or is not available anymore.
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