Houthi ballistic 'missile launchpad destroyed' in Yemen

Saudi-led coalition launches strike in response to the continuing threat posed by the Houthi rebels

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen on Monday said that they had destroyed a Houthi launchpad for ballistic missiles in Al-Jouf province, Arab News reported.

The coalition launched the strike in response to the continuing threat posed by the Houthi militia, the alliance said in a statement carried by Al-Ekhbariya TV and the Saudi Press Agency.

The report added that the Iran-backed militia had been raining missiles, rockets and weaponised drones on mostly civilian targets in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, since 2015 when the coalition was organised to restore Yemen's UN-recognised government that was ousted by the Houthis.

The attacks have thrown a spotlight on so-far unsuccessful UN-led efforts to broker an end to the war in Yemen, which since 2015 has pitted the Houthis against a Saudi Arabian-led military coalition that includes the UAE.

Earlier this month, the Pentagon announced a US deployment of advanced F-22 fighter jets and a guided-missile destroyer, the USS Cole, to partner with the UAE navy ahead of a port call in Abu Dhabi.