Saudi-led coalition destroys rebel drone from Yemen

SANAA, Yemen

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Saturday it had intercepted an explosive-laden drone fired by Houthi rebels towards Saudi Arabia.

"Coalition forces managed to intercept and destroy an unmanned explosive-laden drone launched by the Houthi militia towards Khamis Mushait city” in southern Saudi Arabia, coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki, said in a statement cited by the Saudi SPA News Agency.

Al-Maliki said the Houthis targeting of civilian areas amounted to “war crimes”.

There was no comment from the Houthi group on the report.

Yemeni rebels regularly announce rocket and drone attacks on Saudi territories, saying they are a reaction to the Saudi-led coalition’s assault on Yemen.

On Friday, the coalition said it had intercepted two drone and missile attacks by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia.

Yemen has been wracked by violence and instability since 2014, when 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 man-made humanitarian crises with nearly 80% or about 30 million of its people needing humanitarian assistance and protection and more than 13 million in danger of starving to death.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara