Over 1.5 million Hajj pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia, surpassing last year's international visitor numbers despite ongoing Middle East conflicts.

Saudi Arabia has been directly hit by missiles and drones during the Iran war, but the country is hosting the all-important Muslim pilgrimage anyway.

More than a million Muslims are gathering in Mecca for the hajj pilgrimage overshadowed by the Middle East war, as animosity smoulders across the region despite a fragile…