Saudi Arabia's air defences destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said on Wednesday.
The coalition claimed that the drone intercepted on Tuesday evening was the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca after a ballistic missile launch in July 2017.
The Iran-backed group strongly denied targeting "Mecca or any other holy sites", calling it a "worn-out lie that has been used before".
Meanwhile, the US House has voted to end the war in Iran for the third time late on Tuesday, approving a war powers resolution that would halt president Donald Trump's ability to continue military action without congressional approval.
The roll call, 220-204, was similar to earlier efforts this summer, with a few more Republicans joining most Democrats voting to bring an end to the conflict. None of the resolutions have made it to the president's desk, where Trump would almost certainly veto the measure.
The US state department has issued a travel advisory for Americans, urging them to reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia due to the ongoing conflict with Iran-backed Houthis.
The state department said Iran has launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi cities, infrastructure, airports, military bases, diplomatic sites and energy facilities.
It warned that the Houthis have threatened further attacks on the kingdom.
The state department advised US citizens to avoid travelling to areas near the Yemen border.
The Houthis claim to have shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over the Marib governorate in Yemen, Al Jazeera reported.
The Iran-backed group's spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement that the US-manufactured jet was downed using a "locally manufactured surface-to-air missile".
“In the face of this brutal aggression against our country and people, the Yemeni armed forces – with God’s help and grace – were able to shoot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet while it was conducting hostile operations in support of its military buildup in the airspace of Marib governorate,” he said in a statement.
Iran does not fear war when it comes to safeguarding its sovereignty and security, claimed Habibollah Sayyari, the Iranian Army’s deputy commander for coordination.
Sayyari was speaking at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum on security this morning.
He said the long-term interference of external forces in the Middle East have torn apart regional unity and called on global powers to condemn the "unilateral hegemonism and law of jungle", in a reference to the US.
President Donald Trump’s “Operation Epic Fury” assault on Iran cost $33.4bn in its first four months and has resulted in a munitions shortfall, according to a report by the Department of Defence’s inspector general.
The 44-page report to Congress states that, between 28 February and June 30, the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran saw the Trump administration spend $22.3bn on munitions alone.
The onslaught “has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply,” Inspector General Platte B Moring III concludes.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards this morning said they have shot down a US MQ-9 drone over Qeshm Island at around 2.29am local time.
The Guards said it was the 52nd MQ-9 drone destroyed by the Iranian forces using advanced air-defence systems.
As the end of the month approaches, Iraq faces two major deadlines: the conclusion of a decades-long US military deployment and the required disarming of non-state paramilitary groups.
With the US draw-down already in progress, officials confirm that the remaining hundreds of troops stationed in northern Iraq will depart prior to the Sept. 30 cutoff.
The government in Baghdad tied the US departure to a demand that militias give up their arms, though a majority of these factions have signaled no intention of complying. This defiance raises profound questions regarding the future stability of Iraq once American forces depart.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has condemned alleged attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis on Mecca.
The OIC said: “These attacks instil fear in innocent civilians, violate the sanctity of holy sites and mosques, and provoke the sentiments of Muslims around the world.”
Mecca was placed under an air raid alert for the first time in history on Tuesday evening. Saudi Arabia said it downed a Houthi drone near the holy city. The Houthis have denied attacking Mecca.
The OIC added: “The General Secretariat affirms that the acts committed by the Houthi terrorist militia against holy sites, mosques, and civilian infrastructure constitute terrorism that runs counter to Islamic values and to international norms, principles, and law."
India has expressed serious concern over Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia's civilian infrastructure and economic assets.
Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar held talks to discuss the Middle East crisis with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on the sidelines of the Brics summit in India, a spokesperson told reporters in Delhi.
The issue of the Houthis was also discussed. As you know, recently there was an attack on Saudi Arabia which we have condemned. We are deeply concerned also with the escalation in the situation in the Red Sea region," spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
"We have condemned the attack on the Saudi sovereign territory, including on the civilian infrastructure and economic assets. I would say that such attacks undermine regional stability and threaten freedom of navigation through the Bab-el-Mandeb," he said.
British intelligence has issued a warning after finding that Iranian spies have targeted dissidents with spyware that can enable tracking of their movements.
Dissidents, activists and journalists were targeted by state actors that impersonated their contacts on messaging apps to trick them into downloading spyware called Chosen Brick, the National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ, warned.
The malware gave agents access to the person’s contacts, emails and social media messages as well as a device’s microphone and content on the screen.
Oil prices fell this morning after an unexpected build in US crude inventories, while investors assessed supply risks after Saudi Arabia suspended oil loadings at its Yanbu port following an attack on its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea.
Brent crude futures fell 93 cents, or 0.86 per cent, to $107.82 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate futures were down 97 cents, or 0.92 per cent, at $104.86 a barrel.
Crude inventories rose by 7.1 million barrels in the week ended 11 September, market sources told Reuters, citing API data.
