RIYADH: Houthi drones targeting a civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia were intercepted on Thursday, a Riyadh-led military coalition said, as the Yemeni group steps up attacks on the kingdom.
The drones targeted Jizan airport, the coalition said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency. The coalition did not report any damage or casualties.
Houthi rebels earlier claimed drone attacks on the airports in Jizan and Abha, the capital of southern Asir province, according to the group’s Al-Masirah TV.
The coalition did not confirm the attack on Abha.
The militants in Yemen — who have faced persistent coalition bombing since March 2015 which has exacted a heavy civilian death toll — have stepped up missile and drone attacks across the border in recent weeks.
On Tuesday, a Yemeni rebel attack on Abha airport left nine civilians wounded, the coalition said.
On June 12, a rebel missile attack on Abha airport wounded 26 civilians, drawing promises of “stern action” from the coalition.
