Arab Coalition intercepts drone fired at civilians in southern Saudi Arabia

It is the latest attack by the Iran-backed militia against the kingdom

Most Houthi drones sent towards Saudi cities have been intercepted. AFP

The Arab Coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen said it had intercepted and destroyed an explosive drone aimed by the Houthis at civilian targets in the south of the kingdom on Tuesday, the second such attack in a day.

“Joint Coalition Forces have intercepted and destroyed this morning (Tuesday) a bomb-laden UAV launched systematically and deliberately by the terrorist Houthi militia to target civilians and civilian objects in the Southern Region,” it said in a statement run by the Saudi Press Agency.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group said it launched a number of drones towards Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport early on Tuesday and put it out of action for several hours.

Abha airport, near Saudi Arabia's south-west border with Yemen, has been a regular target for Houthi drones and missiles over the past two years. Many have been intercepted, but some have hit, causing deaths and injuries.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said on Twitter the attack with Samad 3 drones took place at dawn.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 to restore the Yemeni government ousted from power in the capital Sanaa by Houthi forces in late 2014. The Houthis say they are fighting a corrupt system.

Cross-border attacks by Houthi forces have escalated since late May when a truce prompted by the coronavirus pandemic expired. In late June, missiles reached the Saudi capital Riyadh.

The Arab Coalition has retaliated with air strikes.