Saudi air defences intercept 17 Houthi armed drones

Yemeni people attend an exhibition for copy drones and missiles made by activists, on the occasion of the National Day of Resilience, on March 31, 2021 in Sana’a, Yemen [Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images]

Saudi Arabian air defences late on Saturday destroyed six armed drones launched by Yemen’s Houthi movement towards the kingdom, bringing the total it intercepted during the day to 17, state TV cited the Saudi-led coalition as saying, reports Reuters.

The Houthi military spokesman had said earlier in the day on Twitter that one drone was launched at a military base in Khamis Mushait.

The coalition said two further drones were fired at Khamis Mushait while eight drones were fired towards the south of the kingdom, one of which was aimed towards the city of Najran, according to state TV. All of these were intercepted.

The Iran-aligned Houthis have frequently targeted Khamis Mushait and other Saudi cities along the frontier in the more than six-year-old Yemen war.

A military coalition led by Riyadh intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government from the capital Sanaa.

READ: Yemen’s Houthis ‘fabricated’ attack on Saudi border, says coalition spox

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