Saudi-led coalition says drone intercepted over Mecca region amid escalation with Houthis

The Saudi-led coalition said Tuesday that it intercepted and destroyed a drone over the Mecca region in western Saudi Arabia amid escalating tensions with the Houthi group in Yemen.

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki reported the interception on US social media company X, without giving any details about injuries or damage.

The interception came a day after the Saudi-led coalition said that it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile and two drones fired by the Houthis toward Saudi territory.

The development came amid escalating hostilities between the Houthi group and the Saudi-led coalition, which supports Yemen's internationally recognized government.

Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition against the Houthis since March 2015, after the group seized Yemen's capital Sanaa and other parts of the country in 2014.