Yemen: Saudi-led coalition says downed Houthi drone

By Laith al-Ahmadi

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - The Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen said Tuesday it intercepted a drone fired by Houti rebels in Yemen toward the Saudi Arabia's southern city of Najran.

“The coalition forces to support the [Yemeni] legitimacy were able to intercept and destroy an explosive-laden drone launched by the terrorist Houthi militia," coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki said in a statement.

He said the drone was fired in a systematic and deliberate manner to target civilians in Najran.

The Houthi group has yet to comment on the claim but it regularly fires ballistic missiles and drones toward Saudi areas in response to coalition airstrikes on Yemeni areas held by the rebels.

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 coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis, including civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict, which has led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis as millions remain at risk of starvation.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara