Saudi-led coalition intercepts armed Houthi drone

Coalition spokesman says the attack was aimed at 'civilians and civilian objects' in southern Saudi Arabia

The Saudi-led coalition engaged in Yemen said it intercepted an armed drone launched by the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement towards Saudi Arabia on Monday for the second day running.

Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said in a statement on Saudi state media that the attack was aimed at “civilians and civilian objects” in southern Saudi Arabia.

On Sunday, the coalition, which has been battling the Houthis for nearly six years, said it had intercepted four armed drones launched towards the kingdom’s southern region which borders Yemen.

The military alliance intervened in Yemen in March 2015 against the Houthis after they ousted the Saudi-backed government from power in the capital, Sanaa.

The conflict is largely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Houthis deny being puppets of Tehran and say they are fighting a corrupt system.