Saudi-led coalition downs Houthi drone

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia

The Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen announced on Friday the destruction of a booby-trapped drone launched by Houthi rebels towards Saudi Arabia.

Citing a coalition statement, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that the Saudi had defenses intercepted and destroyed the drone moving towards the southern region of Khamis Mushait.

The statement added that the Houthi militia "continues its attempts to target civilians and civilian objects."

This is the third Houthi attack of this kind in two days.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when the Saudi-led coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the conflict in Yemen has so far claimed the lives of 233,000 people.

* Writing by Mahmoud Barakat