Fighting intensifies in Yemen as Houthis deny targeting Mecca

What the report says

Fighting has intensified in Yemen and along the Saudi border, with the Houthi movement denying Saudi accusations that it aimed drones at Mecca. According to Al Jazeera, a Houthi spokesperson said the group instead targeted a pumping station in Yanbu and Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, while Saudi-led coalition forces said they intercepted missiles and drones headed toward Mecca, Riyadh and southern parts of the kingdom. Saudi officials also said debris from intercepted missiles fell in Mecca province.

Inside Yemen, Al Jazeera reported that battles have escalated between the Saudi-backed forces aligned with the internationally recognised government and Houthi fighters. Military spokespeople on both sides claimed strikes and counterstrikes across several governorates, including al-Jawf, Marib, al-Bayda and Taiz, as well as attacks around Aden, where the government is based. The reporting described continued Houthi shelling in the al-Buraiqa district of Aden and competing claims about damage to military infrastructure there.

The World Health Organization said the humanitarian toll is mounting. Al Jazeera reported that more than 11,700 casualties had been recorded by November 8, including more than 2,000 deaths, and that over 320,000 people have been displaced since August 1. The agency also warned that strikes have affected health facilities and ambulances, with fuel shortages further straining emergency care. The broader context is Yemen’s long-running war, which has created repeated waves of displacement and severe pressure on health services.