Saudi-led coalition destroys Houthi missile in Yemen

By Zeynep Tufekci Gulay

RIYADH (AA) - The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Thursday that it destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile and a launchpad in Yemen’s eastern Marib province, local media reported.

A ballistic missile attack planned by the Houthis against the civilians in Marib was prevented by the coalition forces, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted a statement by the Arab coalition.

Earlier on Thursday, Yemen’s Houthi rebel group said they carried out drone strikes targeting “sensitive and important” sites in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh.

Last month, the Houthis rejected a US cease-fire plan, describing it as a plot to put the war-weary country in a more dangerous situation.

On March 22, Saudi Arabia also proposed a UN-supervised cease-fire, along with the reopening of the airport in Sana’a International Airport and the start of negotiations.

Yemen has been ravaged by violence and instability since 2014, when Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including Sana’a.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises.

Some 30 million people – 80% of the population – are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, according to estimates.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz