Hajj: Saudi Arabia completes defence arrangements to protect pilgrims

Saudi Arabia has completed comprehensive defence arrangements to protect pilgrims.

Air surveillance of the holiest sites has been tightened during the Hajj. The Saudi Ministry of Defence also released a video of installing a defence system.

A strong air barrier has been established around the Grand Mosque.

The Hajj is a once-a-year event that draws millions of Muslims to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform rituals that every believer is supposed to carry out at least once in their lives, if they are able to.

It is one of the largest gatherings of humans worldwide, and this year's Hajj runs between May 25 and May 29 with around 1.5 million pilgrims expected in Saudi Arabia. Over the past three years, between 1.7 and 1.8 million have attended.

This year that exercise is being complicated by the Iran war, which began in late February when the US and Israel attacked Iran. Iran has responded by targeting the Gulf states, along with Israel.

There is a ceasefire in effect at the moment but it remains unclear how steady that is. Last weekend, Saudi Arabia intercepted three drones it says were likely launched by pro-Iran militias in Iraq.