29 August 2019•Update: 29 August 2019
RIYADH
The Saudi-led Arab Military Coalition said on Thursday that a Houthi projectile cruise missile hit Abha International Airport, in southern part of the Kingdom.
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the official spokesman of coalition Colonel Turki Al-Malki said: "An enemy projectile fell on Abha International Airport through which thousands of civilian passengers of different nationalities pass daily."
Colonel Al-Malki confirmed that the incident is being pursued by the relevant authorities and said no injuries were reported so far.
The Houthi group earlier claimed responsibility for targeting the airport with a cruise missile. The group's spokesman Yahya Sarei said the missile targeted the military operations center and plane hangars in the airport.
Also, according to another statement by the Arab Coalition on Thursday morning, the coalition defense systems downed a Houthi explosive-drone launched from Saada, northern Yemen, towards the Kingdom.
The statement, read by the Coalition spokesperson Al-Malki, stressed that "all attempts by Houthi militia to launch drones are doomed to fail."
Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when the Iran-aligned Houthi group overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.
The conflict escalated the following year when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen and supporting the country’s pro-Saudi government.
More than 70,000 people have been killed in the raging conflict since 2016, according to UN estimates.
*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara
