Saudi intercepts Houthi attack on Jazan University, debris leads to fire on campus

Saudi forces intercepted several attacks launched by the Houthis toward civilian targets in the kingdom, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Thursday.

“The Royal Saudi Air Defense has intercepted and destroyed on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning four bomb-laden UAVs and five ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi militia from the Sa’dah governorate [in Yemen] toward Jazan,” said coalition spokesperson Brigadier General Turki Al-Malki.

The Houthi militia “attempted to target a number of civilian objects protected under the international humanitarian law”, including Jazan University, he said.

The interception resulted in scattered debris on the campus, which caused a restricted fire that was contained without any losses to civilian life.

“These futile, hostile attempts by the Houthi militia to target civilians and civilian objects are deliberate and systemic; utilising bomb-laden UAVs and ballistic missiles. Such acts of hostility amount to war crimes,” stated Al-Malki.

The coalition will continue to “undertake and implement all operational procedures in order to safeguard civilians and civilian objects through neutralising and destroying threat sources in accordance with the customary international humanitarian law,” he added.

The Houthis have stepped up missile and drone strikes against Saudi Arabia in recent months.

Earlier this week, Saudi forces similarly intercepted and destroyed armed drones and ballistic missiles targeting Khamis Mushayt and Jazan.

Meanwhile an attack on the kingdom’s Ras Tanura port in early March even caused a brief spike in oil prices.

Read: Saudi Arabia vows to protect oil facilities after drone attack