MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th February, 2021) A military coalition of Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia on Wednesday intercepted and destroyed an explosive-laden drone launched by Yemen's Shia rebel Houthi movement toward the kingdom, the coalition's spokesman, Turki al-Maliki, said.
Earlier in the day, the coalition said that its forces destroyed another unmanned aerial vehicle fired by the Houthi rebels in the direction of the kingdom's southwestern city of Khamis Mushait.
"Joint Coalition Forces have intercepted and destroyed this afternoon (Wednesday) in Yemeni airspace a bomb-laden UAV launched systematically and deliberately by the terrorist Houthi militia to target civilians and civilian objects in the Kingdom," the spokesman said, as cited by state news agency, SPA.
Over the recent days, the movement has stepped up its attacks on Saudi Arabian locations and facilities. The Houthi military on Monday claimed responsibility for drone airstrikes on two international airports in the Saudi cities of Jeddah and Abha.
Yemen has been gripped by a civil war between the Yemeni government forces, led by President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, and the Houthi movement since 2014. The Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict on the side of the government in 2015, after the Houthis made significant gains during the early days of clashes.
