UPDATE - Saudi-led coalition in Yemen destroys Houthi missile

UPDATES WITH DEATH TOLL FROM SAADA ATTACK, REVISES DECK

By Said Ibicioglu

RIYADH, ADEN (AA) – The Saudi-led coalition said Tuesday it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen towards Saudi Arabia.

In a statement, coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki said the missile was fired from the northern Yemeni province of Saada towards Najran in south of Saudi Arabia.

He said the missile attack came hours after coalition forces shot down a drone fired by Houthi rebels towards the southern Aseer province.

The spokesman said coalition forces intercepted 313 ballistic missiles and 357 drones fired by Houthi rebels towards Saudi Arabia since 2015.

Houthis have yet to comment on the spokesman's statement.

Meanwhile, Houthi rebels accused the Saudi-led coalition of killing eight civilians in airstrikes in Saada province on Monday.

The death toll from the airstrikes rose to 13, the so-called Human Rights Ministry of Houthi militias said in a statement late Tuesday.

Four children and a woman were among the fatalities, it added.

The statement called on UN Security Council to establish a commission to investigate war crimes committed by the coalition forces.

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 military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis, including civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict, which has led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis as millions remain at risk of starvation.

*Ahmed Asmar and Zehra Nur Duz contributed to this report from Ankara