MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th March, 2021) Ten drones launched by the Yemeni rebel Houthi movement and targeting civilians were intercepted by the Arab coalition in less than five hours, Al Arabiya reported, citing coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki, on Sunday.
"We are working to protect civilians in accordance with international humanitarian laws," Col. al-Maliki said, as quoted by Al Arabiya.
He added that the coalition has been monitoring explosive-laden Houthi drones and has destroyed multiple aircraft that the group had deliberately launched toward civilians and civilian objects.
The Saudi-led coalition engaged in Yemen says that five of the drones were headed toward Saudi Arabia, but did not specify any locations within the kingdom.
The Houthis, who have been battling the coalition since it intervened in Yemen's civil war in March 2015, recently stepped up cross-border missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. According to the spokesperson, the Houthis have been intensifying their attacks on Saudi Arabia and Yemen because coalition forces have made significant advances in Yemen's western Marib region.
In the past week, the Houthis have launched several attacks toward Riyadh, Jazan, and Khamis Mushait in Saudi Arabia, injuring at least seven civilians.
The attacks have sparked calls for action against the Iranian-backed militias with the United States and the United Nations having stepped up on diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, which is largely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
