At least five people were killed in attacks attributed to Yemen's Houthis, the Yemeni government and its Saudi backers, as fighting intensified after the Houthis made new territorial gains.

Saudi Arabia accused the Houthis of firing at the holy city of Mecca this week, a claim the Houthis denied. Saudi Arabia's civil defence agency reported casualties caused by debris from an intercepted Houthi drone in an area east of Mecca.

Houthi media said Saudi warplanes targeted three telecommunications towers in Taiz province, killing one civilian and injuring another in strikes on the town of Abs. The Houthi-run outlet later reported that three children were killed and several Yemeni nationals were injured in strikes by Saudi-backed forces.

The Houthis have reported dozens of daily Saudi strikes since they seized control of the entire Red Sea coast, including strategic coastal areas overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb strait, from Saudi-backed government forces. Fighting has rocked the Arabian Peninsula since the Iran-backed group made lightning gains in a fresh offensive.