Saudi Arabia's air defense systems intercepted on Friday a ballistic missile and a booby-trapped drone launched by the Houthis rebels of Yemen's Ansar Allah movement. Al Arabiya TV channel reported this, citing a statement from the Riyadh-led Arab coalition.
According to the alliance, the destroyed missile was aimed in the direction of the southern Saudi province of Jizan, and the target of the drone was the city of Najran. There was no information about possible damage or casualties.
Earlier, the coalition had informed that nine more Houthis' drones sent to attack the southern, central and eastern regions of the kingdom had been destroyed on Friday. It was noted that the UAVs were targeting civilian objects and energy infrastructure. The alliance also stressed that such "dangerous escalation" by the rebels was aimed against "energy security and the pillars of the world economy."
War in Yemen
In Yemen, the confrontation between government forces and the Houthis has been going on since August 2014. It entered its most active phase with the invasion of the country for exactly seven years in March 2015 by the Saudi-led coalition. Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and the United Arab Emirates backed the operation, called "'Storm of Resolve," against the rebels that had gained control of a large part of Yemen. They were joined by Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan and Sudan.
The first attacks on Houthis' positions began on the evening of March 25 with airstrikes by the Saudi air force in different parts of the country, including the capital. However, the official starting point of the war is March 26, 2015, when Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud authorized a campaign against the rebels at midnight.
Later, it was announced that the Storm of Resolve would cease and another operation, Renewal of Hope, would be launched. The conflict has created the largest humanitarian crisis in the world - according to the UN, more than 24 million Yemenis - about 80 percent of the population - are in need of humanitarian assistance, and the number of internal refugees exceeds 3 million.
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Based on materials from TASS