Saudi-led coalition downs Houthis’ drone: Spokesman

By Hussein Mahmoud Ragab Elkabany and Said Ibicioglu

RIYADH (AA) - Saudi-led coalition forces early Tuesday announced it downed a drone Houthi rebels in Yemen sent to the kingdom.

The drone was intercepted over Sadah province in Yemen, according to coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki.

Maliki went on to say coalition forces took every measure to protect civilians from the drone attacks.

Recently, the Houthis have been using ballistic missiles and drones to target southern Saudi Arabia but those efforts are usually intercepted by the kingdom’s air defense systems.

Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when the Iran-aligned Houthi group overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The conflict escalated the following year when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen and supported the country’s pro-Saudi government.

More than 70,000 people have been killed in the raging conflict since 2016, according to UN estimates.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas