Saudi-led coalition destroys 4 rebel boats in Yemen

SANAA, Yemen (AA) – The Saudi-led coalition said Saturday it had destroyed four booby-trapped boats by Houthi rebels in western Yemen.

The boats were targeted in an attack on a rebel site used for manufacturing explosive-laden boats in al-Jabana base in the coastal Hudaydah province, the coalition said in a statement cited by the Saudi state news agency SPA.

The statement said the boats were ready “to be used in carrying out imminent hostile acts and assaults."

There was no immediate comment from the Houthi group on the coalition’s statement.

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

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.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the conflict has claimed more than 233,000 lives.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara