Saudi-led coalition launches air strikes in Yemen over drone attacks by Houthis

The Iran-backed rebels have ramped up their attacks on the kingdom over the past year

Yemen's capital, Sanaa. The country has been mired in violence since the Houthis ousted the government from the capital. EPA

The Saudi-led coalition has launched air strikes on targets in Yemen's capital Sanaa in response to drone attacks carried out by the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels earlier this week.

The coalition also destroyed drone workshops and warehouses and urged civilians to avoid the area, Saudi state TV reported early on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia's air defence systems intercepted and destroyed five Houthi drones that were headed towards the kingdom on Monday.

The rebels have launched dozens of cross-border aerial attacks on Saudi Arabia over the past year and sought to attack civilian areas and energy complexes using ballistic missiles and drones carrying explosives.

Yemen has been mired in violence since the rebel movement ousted the government from Sana'a, prompting the coalition to intervene months later in March 2015 in a conflict largely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.