"Red Line": Saudi Claims Houthis Targetted Mecca, Iran-Backed Group Denies

The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen's Houthis accused the rebels on Wednesday of targeting Islam's holy city Mecca, sparking outrage across the Muslim world and deepening the conflict roiling the region.Fresh fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government has dragged in Riyadh, with the Houthis declaring a maritime blockade on the kingdom and targeting its ships in the Red Sea.Last week's lightning offensive saw the group seize control of the entirety of Yemen's Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital artery for Saudi oil exports as the wider Middle East war chokes off the Strait of Hormuz strategic shipping route.The Houthis swiftly rejected as a "lie" Riyadh's report that it shot down a drone from the rebels heading towards the Saudi city of Mecca, which attracts millions of pilgrims each year."The claims about targeting Mecca are a worn-out lie that has been used before and no…