Saudi Arabia destroys 'hostile’ aerial target

By Shukri Hussein

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - Saudi Arabia said Saturday it had intercepted and destroyed a “hostile” aerial target fired towards the city of Jeddah.

A statement by the Defense Ministry said defense systems shot downed the aerial target but did not specify the type of the target.

A few days ago, the oil-rich kingdom announced intercepting a booby-trapped drone fired towards Saudi territories.

There was no comment from the Houthi rebel group in Yemen on the Saudi statement.

The Iran-aligned 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 wracked by violence and instability since 2014, when Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises with nearly 80% or about 30 million of its people needing humanitarian assistance and protection and more than 13 million in danger of starving to death.

*Ahmed Asmar in Ankara contributed to this report