At least five people have been killed in a renewed escalation between the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group and Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is supported by Saudi Arabia, according to DW. The fighting has included reported attacks in both Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia accused the Houthis of carrying out what it called a “cowardly” strike on Mecca, the city that hosts Islam’s holiest sites and major hajj and umrah pilgrimages. The Houthis denied attacking the city. Saudi Arabia’s civil defense agency said one person was killed by shrapnel from a downed drone in the Mecca area, while buildings and vehicles were damaged. DW described this as the first reported death in Saudi Arabia during the current escalation.

Houthi-backed Almisrah TV reported that one civilian was killed in Abs in northwestern Yemen. The channel later said three children were killed in strikes conducted by Yemen’s internationally recognized government. The Houthis also claimed that Saudi warplanes struck three telecommunications towers in Taiz, in southwestern Yemen. The claims could not be independently verified in the supplied material.

The latest escalation follows the collapse in July of a truce agreed between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia in 2022. According to DW, tensions rose after the Houthi group allowed an Iranian plane to land in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, challenging Saudi control over Yemeni airspace. The Houthis subsequently announced a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis have controlled Sanaa and much of Yemen’s densely populated western region since the civil war began in 2014. The group has reported dozens of Saudi strikes since launching an offensive aimed at taking coastal areas near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a major shipping route, from government forces. DW said the waterway’s importance has grown amid restrictions imposed by Iran on the Strait of Hormuz during the war involving Iran, the United States and Israel.

The conflict has displaced more than 100,000 people, according to UN figures cited by DW.