Updated

Fighting between Yemen's Houthis and Saudi-backed forces intensified, with the Houthis claiming a ballistic missile strike on a fuel depot near Riyadh airport that caused delays, and Saudi Arabia saying it intercepted another missile aimed at its capital. Saudi King Salman condemned the targeting of Mecca by the 'terrorist' Houthis, while Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan issued a joint statement affirming Saudi Arabia's right to self-defense. The UK announced it would provide air-to-air refueling support for Saudi 'defensive' operations, and the US said it would honor its defense commitments to Riyadh amid the escalating conflict; a BBC Verify report also confirmed wreckage of a Saudi F-15 shot down by the Houthis. The fighting, centered partly on Yemen's strategic Kahboub Mountains near key shipping lanes, has driven a new refugee exodus, with the UN warning of up to 10,000 people crossing the Red Sea to Djibouti and more than 230,000 additional internal displacements; Djibouti's government appealed for international aid. The G7 separately called on Iran to stop arming the Houthis and condemned the group's attacks on Saudi Arabia, warning the escalation threatens global energy security, as debate continues over a controversial potential US sale of F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia.