Iran-US war latest: Saudi Arabia says it downed drone near Mecca as US House votes to rein in Trump’s powers

Saudi Arabia's air defences destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said on Wednesday.

The coalition claimed that the drone intercepted on Tuesday evening was the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca after a ballistic missile launch in July 2017.

The Iran-backed group strongly denied targeting "Mecca or any other holy sites", calling it a "worn-out lie that has been used before".

Meanwhile, the US House has voted to end the war in Iran for the third time late on Tuesday, approving a war powers resolution that would halt president Donald Trump's ability to continue military action without congressional approval.

The roll call, 220-204, was similar to earlier efforts this summer, with a few more Republicans joining most Democrats voting to bring an end to the conflict. None of the resolutions have made it to the president's desk, where Trump would almost certainly veto the measure.

British intelligence has issued a warning after finding that Iranian spies have targeted dissidents with spyware that can enable tracking of their movements.

Dissidents, activists and journalists were targeted by state actors that impersonated their contacts on messaging apps to trick them into downloading spyware called Chosen Brick, the National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ, warned.

The malware gave agents access to the person’s contacts, emails and social media messages as well as a device’s microphone and content on the screen.

Oil prices fell this morning after an unexpected build in US crude inventories, while investors assessed supply risks after Saudi Arabia suspended ​oil loadings at its Yanbu port following an attack on its East-West pipeline ‌to the Red Sea.

Brent crude futures fell 93 cents, or 0.86 per cent, to $107.82 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate futures were down 97 cents, or 0.92 per cent, at $104.86 a barrel.

Crude inventories rose by 7.1 million barrels in ​the week ended 11 September, market sources told Reuters, citing API data.

The US House has voted to end the war in Iran for the third time, approving a war powers resolution that would halt president Donald Trump's ability to continue military action without congressional approval.

The roll call, 220-204, was similar to earlier efforts this summer, with a few more Republicans joining most Democrats voting to bring an end to the conflict. None of the resolutions have made it to the president's desk, where Trump would almost certainly veto the measure.

"Remember when Donald Trump said that this war would last just a few weeks?" said Rep Seth Moulton, who served as a Marine during the Iraq war and pushed the resolution forward.

He said it's time for Congress to "actually ask tough questions, as the Constitution directs us to do, rather than be subservient to another warmongering administration".

The action is likely the last House vote on the Iran war ahead of the midterm elections, where the conflict overseas is playing a substantial role in the political campaigns.

Iran-backed Houthis have denied attacking the holy city of Mecca as the group escalates its conflict with Saudi Arabia in the wake of the US war on Iran.

Saudi Arabia's air defences destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said this morning.

The Houthis, in a statement to Yemen’s SABA news agency, rejected the claim that their forces pose a threat to the city of Mecca or other Islamic holy sites.

“We categorically deny that there is any threat from Yemen directed at the city of Mecca or any other holy sites,” a Houthi source said.

“The claims about targeting Mecca are a worn-out lie that has been used before and no longer fools anyone,” Hazem al-Assad, from the Houthis’ politburo, wrote on X.

Saudi Arabia's air defences destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said this morning.

The drone, intercepted yesterday evening, was the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca after a ballistic missile launch in July 2017, spokesperson Turki al-Malki said in a statement, and follows a week of attacks from Iran-aligned Houthi fighters that have drawn Saudi Arabia deeper into the war.

Mecca is home to some of the holiest sites in Islam and the focal point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, and its security was a "red line," the coalition spokesperson al-Malki said in the statement.

A U.S. government watchdog released its first report on the impact of the Iran war on Monday, acknowledging the military's advanced weapons shortfalls and offering the first public look at the damage to American aircraft, bases and diplomatic outposts in the Middle East.

Much of the information has been previously reported over the past six months, but the Pentagon inspector general's report offered the fullest official accounting so far of the conflict's costs in American lives, taxpayer dollars and physical damage. It included information from the watchdogs for the Defense and State departments as well as the U.S. Agency for International Development.

US crude rose 1.82 per cent to $103.24 a barrel ​while Brent gained ⁠1.6 per cent to $107.37.

Markets are unsettled after Yemen's Iran-aligned ⁠Houthis launched a new wave of attacks on Saudi Arabia on ​Monday, ⁠after Riyadh blamed Iran-backed fighters in Iraq for an attack on the kingdom's east-west pipeline.

It is likely to disrupt as much as 4 per cent of global oil supply. Gulf Arab states also postponed ⁠planned talks with Iran.

"Markets are likely to remain focused ‌on the risk that higher crude oil prices could add to inflationary pressures and, in turn, push interest rates higher," Yokoo Akihiko, an analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, said in a note.

The US military has rejected an Iranian claim that a Panama-flagged oil tanker struck naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, saying the vessel was instead attacked by an Iranian drone.

US Central Command said the El Gaia was struck by an Iranian missile last month, which rendered the tanker “inoperable”, before it was hit again by an Iranian drone over the weekend while it was in waters off Oman.

The vessel is now being towed by a regional partner.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had claimed the tanker struck naval mines and caught fire in Hormuz.

Egypt's president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is set to roll out the red carpet for Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday, the Egyptian presidency said.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of intensified fighting between Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and Yemen's Saudi-backed government.

The two leaders will hold a bilateral meeting to discuss the Houthi offensive and developments in Iran.

The Houthi rebels’ weeklong offensive has culminated in the capture of Yemen's Red Sea coast, cementing their hold on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, through which Saudi oil transits.

Earlier, Cairo rejected a proposal from the Houthis for direct talks to coordinate maritime traffic through the waterway and the Red Sea, according to Qatari media outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Donald Trump has demanded that the “Countries of the World” pay the US for its military action to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

"The Countries of the World, which have been no help to us whatsoever, should, and will, reimburse the United States of America when this SCAM Confligration is all over,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.

The US president was repeating his claim that Tehran “wants to make a deal, quickly and badly”.

He added: "I will determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage - The concept of which we are open to."