Anti-Houthi coalition intercepts 2 drones targeting Saudi airport

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Sunday it had destroyed two drones fired by Houthi rebels towards Saudi territories, Anadolu reports.

A coalition statement cited by the Saudi state news agency SPA said Saudi air defenses intercepted two booby-trapped drones targeting the Abha International Airport southwestern Saudi Arabia.

No damage or injuries were reported.

The Saudi-led coalition said the drones were fired from the Sanaa Airport “which has become a launching pad for cross-border attacks,” without giving further details.

The interception came shortly after the coalition said it had destroyed a rebel drone fired towards the city of Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia.

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

READ: UN calls for de-escalation in Yemen’s Hudaydah

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

A recent United Nations report projected that by the year’s end, the death toll from the seven-year Yemeni conflict will reach 377,000.