Saudi air defense intercepts 3 Houthi drones

ADEN, Yemen

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Sunday that it destroyed three drones launched by Houthi rebels towards Saudi territory.

A coalition statement cited by Saudi Arabia’s state news agency SPA said Saudi air defenses intercepted drones targeting the southern Najran region.

The drones were launched from Sanaa Airport, the statement added.

The Houthi rebel group, backed by Iran, regularly announces rocket and drone attacks on Saudi territory, 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 Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital 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 people needing humanitarian assistance and protection and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk

ADEN, Yemen

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Sunday that it destroyed three drones launched by Houthi rebels towards Saudi territory.

A coalition statement cited by Saudi Arabia’s state news agency SPA said Saudi air defenses intercepted drones targeting the southern Najran region.

The drones were launched from Sanaa Airport, the statement added.

The Houthi rebel group, backed by Iran, regularly announces rocket and drone attacks on Saudi territory, 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 Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk