Anti-Houthi coalition intercepts 2 drones targeting Saudi airport

SANAA, Yemen

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Sunday it had destroyed two drones fired by Houthi rebels towards Saudi territories.

A coalition statement cited by the Saudi state news agency SPA said Saudi air defenses intercepted two booby-trapped drones targeting the Abha International Airport southwestern Saudi Arabia.

No damage or injuries were reported.

The Saudi-led coalition said the drones were fired from the Sanaa Airport “which has become a launching pad for cross-border attacks,” without giving further details.

The interception came shortly after the coalition said it had destroyed a rebel drone fired towards the city of Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia.

There was no comment from the Houthi group on the coalition’s statement.

The Houthi group, backed by Iran, regularly announces rocket and drone attacks on Saudi territories, saying they are a reaction to the Saudi-led coalition’s assault on Yemen.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises, with nearly 80% or about 30 million needing humanitarian assistance and protection, and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

A recent United Nations report projected that by the year’s end, the death toll from the seven-year Yemeni conflict will reach 377,000