Saudi-led coalition downs 3rd rebel drone from Yemen

SANAA, Yemen (AA) – The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Saturday it had intercepted a drone fired by Houthi rebels towards Saudi territories, the third such attack in the past 24 hours.

Saudi air defenses destroyed a booby-trapped drone fired by the Houthis towards the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait, the coalition said in a statement cited by the Saudi state news agency SPA.

It condemned the rebel group for continuously targeting civilians and civilian targets.

There was no comment from the Houthi group on the statement.

On Friday, the Saudi-led coalition shot down two booby-trapped drones launched by the Houthis towards southern Saudi Arabia.

Houthi rebels regularly announce rocket and drone attacks on Saudi territories, 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 Houthis 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 Ibrahim Mukhtar in Ankara