Yemen rebels launch drone strike on Saudi airport

By Halime Afra Aksoy

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - Houthi rebels in Yemen announced on Monday that they had launched two drones in a strike on Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia.

Strategic military targets at the airport were hit in the attack, rebel spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement.

The Yemeni government and coalition forces have yet to speak on the issue.

The Houthis regularly announce rocket and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia's southern regions in retaliation to the Saudi-led coalition's attacks in Yemen.

Coalition forces previously said they shot down a total of six Houthi drones flying towards Saudi territory since Oct. 24.

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 the Saudi-led coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

More than 100,000 Yemenis, including civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict, which has led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with millions at risk of starvation.

* Writing by Zehra Nur Duz from Ankara