Saudi-led coalition intercepts missiles and drones from Houthis

Cross-border attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement have escalated since late May

Houthi fighters shout slogans during a gathering of Houthi loyalists on the outskirts of Sanaa, Yemen July 8, 2020. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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The Saudi-led coalition said on Monday it intercepted and destroyed four missiles and six explosive drones launched from Yemen towards Saudi Arabia overnight by Houthi rebels.

Cross-border attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthis have escalated since late May, when a truce prompted by the coronavirus pandemic ended.

In late June, missiles reached Riyadh, the Saudi capital.

The coalition, in a statement published by the Saudi state news agency SPA, did not say where the devices were intercepted, but it said the drones were launched from the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation condemned the launching of drones and missiles towards the kingdom.

OIC Secretary General Dr Yousef bin Ahmed Al Othaimeen reaffirmed the body's support for the efforts of the forces of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen and its solidarity with Saudi Arabia in countering terrorism.

Dr Al Othaimeen held the Houthi militia, and those backing it with money and weapons, responsible for targeting civilians and civilians inside Yemen and neighbouring countries, the statement said.

The coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the internationally recognised government from Sanaa in late 2014.

The UN recently launched talks among the warring parties on a permanent ceasefire and confidence-building steps to restart peace negotiations.

But discussions have been complicated by the surge in violence since the ceasefire expired.