Along the fractured fault lines of the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia and the Houthi movement exchanged competing claims of military action on Wednesday, each asserting victory while rejecting the other's accusations. The Houthis say they brought down a Saudi warplane; Riyadh says a drone was launched toward Mecca, the spiritual heart of Islam — a charge the Houthis deny. Neither claim has been independently confirmed, yet together they illuminate a conflict that resists resolution and deepens in complexity with each passing season, carrying with it the weight of a civilian population caught