Iranian pilgrims among those to arrive in Saudi Arabia, where authorities take bolstered security measures

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.

Muslim worshippers gathered in Mecca for prayers on Friday in the final days before the start of the Hajj, one of the biggest gatherings in the Islamic calendar.

The annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, has begun