Saudi-led coalition destroys 4 rebel drones from Yemen

SANAA, Yemen

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Sunday it had intercepted four drones fired by Houthi rebels towards Saudi Arabia.

The coalition said in a statement cited by Saudi state news agency SPA that the drones were launched towards the kingdom’s southern region.

The statement said Houthi rebels also fired four ballistic missiles towards Marib province in central Yemen.

There were no reports of casualties or damage.

Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, regularly announce rocket and drone attacks on Saudi targets, saying they are a reaction to the Saudi-led coalition’s assault on Yemen.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises, with nearly 80% or about 30 million needing humanitarian assistance and protection, and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

A recent United Nations report projected that by year’s-end the death toll from the seven-year Yemeni conflict will reach 377,000.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar