Saudi Arabia said on Friday it had intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels near Mecca, Islam's holiest city, a claim the Houthis deny.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree dismissed the coalition's account as false in a post on X, saying the group had not carried out any operation against Saudi territory and that its operations target Saudi oil facilities and military bases, according to Reuters.