2 killed in Houthi rebel attack in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH

Two people were killed from a projectile fired by Houthi rebels from Yemen into Saudi territories, according to the Saudi-led coalition on Saturday.

A coalition statement cited by the Saudi state news agency SPA said the projectile struck the southern city of Samtah late Friday, killing a Saudi citizen and a Yemeni resident.

Two other people were injured when another shell hit a workshop in the same city.

The Saudi-led coalition said it is preparing to launch a “large-scale military operation” on the Houthi rebels “within the framework of international humanitarian law.”

The coalition said it responded to the rebel attacks, destroying four warehouses for ballistic missiles and drones in Al-Mahwit province and two caves for storing ballistic missiles in Saada province in northern Yemen.

The Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV channel said a woman was killed and six people were injured in air raids carried out by the Saudi-led coalition in Al-Mahwit.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst human-made humanitarian crises, with nearly 80%, or about 30 million people, needing humanitarian assistance and protection, and more than 13 million are in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar