Saudi forces intercept two more drones: coalition

RIYADH: Saudi forces have intercepted two explosives-laden Yemeni rebel drones, one of which targeted a southern city that has repeatedly come under attack over the past week, a Riyadh-led military coalition said early Tuesday.

One of the drones targeted a civilian area in Abha city and the second was shot down over Yemeni air space after it was launched towards the kingdom, the coalition fighting the Houthi rebels said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency.

The coalition reported no casualties from the attacks late Monday.

Huthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported earlier that the rebels had launched drone attacks on Abha airport, which they have repeatedly targeted over the past week.

The rebels claimed another drone strike on Abha airport early Monday, but it was not immediately confirmed by the coalition.

Last Wednesday, the coalition said a Houthi missile attack on Abha airport left 26 civilians wounded, drawing promises of “stern action” from the military alliance.

Human Rights Watch denounced Wednesday’s strike as an apparent “war crime”, urging the Huthis to immediately stop all attacks on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.

The coalition intervened in support of the Yemeni government in 2015 when President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled into Saudi exile as the rebels closed in on his last remaining territory in and around second city Aden.