Sanaa, Oct. 31 -- Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group has strongly rejected accusations of deploying a drone towards the Medina region, following a declaration by the Saudi-led military coalition that an unmanned aircraft had been intercepted and destroyed above the area amid a widening regional conflict tied to the US-Israeli war.

The Houthis dismissed the coalition's version of events, accusing Riyadh of fabricating claims of a hostile assault. This latest diplomatic and military friction unfolds against a backdrop of cross-border strikes hitting critical petroleum sites, military facilities and aviation hubs, exacerbating international anxiety over the spillover of hostilities.

Medina holds supreme spiritual importance as the sanctuary...