Mecca

The Saudi-led coalition reports that it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone in the Mecca region on Friday. Yemen's Houthi movement denies launching any operation toward Saudi territory and calls the coalition’s account false. The coalition describes the incident as part of an ongoing escalation, while the Houthis say their attacks focus on Saudi oil facilities and military bases. Earlier on Thursday the group claimed strikes on several Saudi refineries and airports, but Saudi authorities have not confirmed those attacks.

Qatari mediators have presented Iran with a new draft to end the conflict with the United States and Israel. The plan sets a seven-day timeline with daily confidence-building steps and would involve several guarantor countries, possibly starting early next week. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is in close contact with intermediaries and could implement the plan in less than a week, while a senior Iranian official called Doha's ideas unacceptable and not an offer. Earlier talks in Tehran with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey ended without a deal, and US President Donald Trump suggested Iran may be delaying until after the 3 Nov midterm elections.

A fire near the Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province was contained, Bloomberg News reports, citing a person familiar with the matter. The Houthi movement says it struck the refinery with a ballistic missile on 27 Oct, a claim Saudi authorities have not confirmed. Saudi-led coalition forces say they shot down three Houthi missiles aimed at the Eastern Province and intercepted two ballistic missiles fired at Riyadh, where shrapnel damaged a building, a construction project and a car. The refinery handles 550,000 barrels per day. Damage details remain unclear.