Saudi-led coalition intercepts new Houthi drone from Yemen

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Sunday it had intercepted an overnight drone attack by Houthi rebels towards Saudi territories.

A coalition statement cited by the Saudi state news agency SPA said Saudi air defenses destroyed a booby-trapped drone fired by Houthis towards the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait.

The drone attack was the seventh attempt by Iran-aligned rebels on Saudi territories in the past week.

Khamis Mushait is an agricultural and industrial city, and hosts an airbase. In recent years, it has been a target of rebel drone and missile attacks from Yemen.

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

Houthi rebels regularly announce rocket and drone attacks on Saudi territories, saying they are a reaction to the Saudi-led coalition’s assault on Yemen.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthis overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa. The crisis escalated in 2015 when a 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 has claimed more than 233,000 lives.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara