Saudi Arabia-led coalition destroys explosive drone launched by Yemen's Houthis

Incident comes week after kingdom thwarted attack by Iran-backed rebels that sparked fire near oil hub

The Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have frequently attacked Saudi Arabia. REUTERS

The Saudi Arabia-led coalition said on Wednesday that it destroyed an explosive-laden drone launched by Yemen’s Houthis towards the kingdom, according to state TV.

The Saudis have accused the Houthis of using drones and missiles to attack Saudi Arabia.

Last week, Saudi Arabia thwarted an attack by the Iran-backed rebels that sparked a fire near an Aramco oil distribution centre on the Red Sea coast.

Saudi security forces intercepted and destroyed two unmanned boats packed with explosives that the Houthi rebels used to target a major refinery and terminal in the southern Saudi province of Jizan, the official told the Saudi Press Agency.

In September 2019, drone and missile attacks claimed by the Houthis struck two key oil installations in Saudi Arabia, halting about half of the supplies from the world’s largest exporter of oil. Saudi Arabia and the US blamed the attack on Iran, which has denied involvement.

The Houthis overran Yemen's capital and much of the north in 2014, driving the government into exile. The war in the Arab world's poorest country has killed more than 100,000 people, pushed millions to the brink of famine and precipitated what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The UN-led effort to find a political solution to the war received a boost recently with the largest exchange of prisoners between the two sides since the conflict began.