UPDATE - Yemen’s Houthis claim drone attack on Saudi airbase

UPDATE WITH COALITION STATEMENT

SANAA (AA) – Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed a drone attack on the King Khalid airbase in southern Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

In a statement, rebel spokesman Yahya Sarei said the attack targeted radars and military sites at the base in the city of Khamis Mushait.

"The attack was in response to Saudi-led coalition raids in the past 24 hours," he said.

The Saudi-led coalition, meanwhile, said it had shot down drones fired from Yemen toward the southwestern Asir region.

"Coalition forces intercepted unmanned aircraft launched by the Iran-backed terrorist Houthi militia," coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said in a statement.

He described the Houthi attacks as “a brazen violation of international humanitarian law".

In recent months, Houthi rebels have claimed several drone attacks on Saudi airports near the country’s border with Yemen.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and several Arab allies launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

According to UN figures, Yemen is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with more than 10 million people driven to the brink of famine.