Saudi-led coalition shoots down Houthi drone near Medina; Houthis deny attack

CAIRO, Oct 30 (Reuters) – The Saudi-led coalition battling in Yemen said on Friday it had intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen’s Houthi forces over Saudi Arabia’s Medina region, but the Iran‑aligned group denied carrying out any attack on the kingdom.

Medina, which hosts one of Islam’s holiest shrines, draws millions of Muslim pilgrims each year.

Cross‑border attacks between the Saudi‑led coalition—supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government—and the Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa, have intensified amid heightened US‑Israeli tensions with Iran, opening a new front in the conflict.

The Houthis have repeatedly denied targeting Mecca and Medina, Islam’s two holiest cities, dismissing earlier accusations from the Saudi‑led coalition that they had launched drones toward those sites.

(Reporting by Enas Alashray and Ahmed Tolba;)

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