Overview
- Sadiq Khan travelled to Mecca and performed the Hajj pilgrimage, sharing photos and messages from the Kaaba on social media on Thursday that described the experience as 'profoundly life-changing'.
- Saudi officials said about 1.51 million pilgrims arrived from outside the kingdom this year, a reported increase of roughly 11,000 compared with last year.
- The Saudi defence ministry published footage of air-defence batteries on the outskirts of Mecca that it said are deployed to protect the skies over the holy sites following a period of regional strikes and retaliatory attacks.
- Organizers expanded medical posts, cooling and crowd-management measures to cope with heat and large crowds while pilgrims completed core rites such as tawaf around the Kaaba, the walk between Safa and Marwa, moves to Mina and the gathering at Mount Arafat.
- Many pilgrims said they felt ecstatic to complete the rites despite high temperatures and regional tensions, and officials say the visible security and health steps aim to reassure visiting worshippers and foreign governments about safety and crowd health.