Vatican spokesperson, deputy resign

"At the same time, a mere claim of intercepting a drone en route to Mecca al-Mukarramah cannot constitute grounds for accusing a specific party, especially since the Yemeni government of Change and Construction has explicitly denied this claim," he added. 

Yemen's Houthi movement on Wednesday rejected Saudi Arabia's claim that the group launched a drone towards the holy city of Mecca, calling the allegation “fabrications and lies” and asserting that its operations target Saudi military and oil facilities away from Islamic holy sites.

The Saudi-led coalition on Wednesday warned that the security of Islam's two holiest sites is a "red line" after Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen's Houthi in the south of the holy city of Makkah Al-Mukarramah, popularly known as Mecca.

The conflict in West Asia is boiling over again, with fighting intensifying in Yemen as Houthi rebels advance towards Saudi-backed government-held areas, including the strategic oil- and gas-rich province of Marib and the city of Taiz, while Saudi Arabia faces growing pressure to respond.

Vijay personally inspected the track layout, safety systems and other infrastructural facilities there on Saturday before he flagged off the race.