Saudi Arabia downs second 'explosive' Houthi drone in five days
An alleged 'explosive' Houthi drone headed towards the Saudi kingdom was downed by the coalition battling the rebels in Yemen, authorities said.
2 min read
The drone was downed in Yemeni airspace [File Photo: Getty]
The Saudi-led coalition battling Houthis in Yemen said it downed a rebel “explosive” drone in Yemeni airspace on Friday.
Coalition spokesman, Colonel Turki Al-Maliki announced the latest development in a statement published on the state-owned Saudi Press Agency [SPA].
“The coalition forces were able, on Friday evening, to intercept and destroy an explosive UAV in Yemeni airspace, which was launched by the Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia towards the kingdom,” the state said.
“The plane was targeting civilians and civilian objects in a deliberate and systematic manner,” the official claimed, without providing further details.
Friday’s downing of the drone is the second reported incident in just five days.
In July, Yemen's Houthis claimed to have a bank of vital targets in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Israel, in a stark warning amid increased long-range attacks on the neighbouring kingdom.
The rebels said the targets were determined through detailed intelligence, though fell short of revealing the source.
Read also: Yemen in Focus: Houthi offensive on Marib could determine country's future
Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim, the chief of the groups' intelligence and reconnaissance body made the remarks, according to the rebel-run Saba news agency.
More than 120,000 people have died in the Yemen war, which began when Houthi rebels stormed the capital Sanaa and moved south.
The conflict intensified after the Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 against the Houthis, with waves of airstrikes that killed thousands and a blockade that has devastated the country.
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