Houthi rebel aggression displaces hundreds of Yemeni families

Tensions in Yemen continue to rise as Houthi rebels make further advances, displacing families from near the Saudi-Yemeni board as the death toll mounts.

This as the rebel group denies targeting the holy city of Mecca while protesters in Karachi denounces the strikes.

Meanwhile, China and Russia veto the United Nations' latest attempt to reimpose sanctions on Iran.

The Saudi civil defence says debris from an intercepted Houthi drone has killed one person and injured two others in Taif province in the western part of the country. These latest casualties come after unconfirmed claims of striking down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet by the Houthis.

This amid Yemeni government forces' attacks against Houthi rebels along the Red Sea and as the rebels fire into neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen's government.

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday accuses the Houthis of attacking Mecca with drones. This alleged attack on Islam's holiest city triggered the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League to take to the streets in Karachi to denounce Houthi attacks.

Carrying Saudi Arabia and Pakistan banners, they demand armed forces of the country to take steps to protect holy sites under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.

The Houthis, though, deny targeting Mecca, which sits about 1,100 kilometres from Yemen's boarder, with its leader in a televised speech calling the claims a "huge, ugly and an extremely heinous lie."

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei says in a post on social media a claim of intercepting a drone shouldn't be turned into an accusation of any specific party to escalate tensions while also condemning attacks on Islamic holy sites.

The increasingly wider attacks at the Saudi-Yemeni boarder, which has already claimed the lives of hundreds, has prompted tens of thousands to flee Yemen's city of Mokha, with close to 100 families already headed to a displacement camp in Al Firdaws.

Staff of the Field Medical Foundation at the camp says they expect to receive as many as 300 families as registration continues.

Meanwhile at the United Nations, China and Russia veto an attempt to reimpose sanctions on Iran, rejecting the move as legally invalid, with the Permanent Representative of China to the UN Fu Cong citing the need instead to "promote negotiations, ease tensions, and play a constructive role, rather than becoming a platform for individual members to pursue political confrontation and exert pressure."

Other members express regret, with one saying they are not surprised some member nations would veto in an attempt to keep their dealings with Iran under wraps.