Saudi destroys Houthi UAV near airport

Saudi air defences destroyed a Houthi drone headed to Abha International Airport, the Saudi coalition said on Saturday.

The unmanned aerial vehicle was spotted at 1:45pm by the unit assigned to the airport, which “dealt with the threat and destroyed it”, according to a statement to Saudi Press Agency.

Coalition spokesperson colonel Turki al-Malki said an inspection of the wreckage found that it was an Iranian Ababil drone that was attempting to attack the airport.

He added that there was minimal damage caused by the drone’s destruction and no injuries.

“The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition, through continuous thorough monitoring and surveillance, targeted the unit responsible of assembly and rigging the UAVs following their exit of one of their workshops in Sa’dah governorate,” al-Malki said.

A number of other drone attacks have been detected previously, including one last month that targeted a facility belonging to Saudi Aramco in Jizan.

Read: Yemen’s Houthis claim drone attack on Saudi Aramco facility

Saudi Arabia blames Iran for providing the Houthis with missile components and drone technology since it entered the Yemen civil war as part of an Arab coalition in 2015.

Read: UAE armed forces intercept Iranian drone

Just after midnight on Friday, Saudi air defences also intercepted a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis from Omran province towards the city of Najran.

The missile was destroyed and fragments scattered over residential areas without causing any injuries, according to the coalition.

Two other missiles were also intercepted last week, adding to the more than 120 attacks on the kingdom since it entered the war.

Read: Saudi intercepts missile fired towards Jizan

On Tuesday, the US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on five Iranians it said had supplied ballistic missile expertise to Yemen’s Houthis for attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Read: US sanctions five Iranians for providing Yemen’s Houthis with missile expertise