Yemen rebels claim drone attack on Saudi airport

By Ali Oweida

RIYADH (AA) – Yemen's Houthi rebels on Wednesday claimed a drone attack on an airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia.

In a statement, rebel spokesman Yahia Sarei said the group carried out a drone attack on military targets in the Jizan airport.

He claimed that the attack has "led to disruption of aviation at the airport".

The Saudi-led coalition, meanwhile, said it intercepted a Houthi drone fired from Yemen toward the city of Jizan.

In a statement, coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki said the attack took place during a visit by UN envoy Martin Griffiths to Sanaa amid efforts to revive stalled peace talks in the war-devastated country.

No casualties were reported.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa. The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

According to UN figures, Yemen is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with more than 10 million people driven to the brink of famine. More than 22 million people in Yemen are desperate for humanitarian aid and protection.