Anti-Houthi coalition intercepts 2 rebel drones from Yemen

By Aziz al-Ahmadi
SANAA, Yemen (AA) – The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Monday it had destroyed two drones fired by Houthi rebels towards Saudi territories.

A coalition statement cited by Saudi state news agency SPA said seven rebel drones had been intercepted by Saudi air defenses in the past 24 hours.

The statement said the coalition will deal “firmly” with the source of threats, without giving any further details.

The coalition said in another statement that it had bombed three rebel operation centers in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.

The Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that coalition warplanes had carried out five airstrikes on the al-Anab residential area in Sanaa.

Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, regularly announce rocket and drone attacks on Saudi targets, saying they are a reaction to the Saudi-led coalition’s assault on Yemen.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including 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 needing humanitarian assistance and protection, and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

A recent United Nations report projected that by the year’s end, the death toll from the seven-year Yemeni conflict will reach 377,000.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara