Explosives-laden drone launched by Houthis intercepted in Saudi city of Najran

A Houthi drone shot down by Saudi ai defenses is shown in this file photo. (AFP file photo)
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Updated 11 October 2020
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Explosives-laden drone launched by Houthis intercepted in Saudi city of Najran

RIYADH: Houthi "terrorists" in Yemen launched a bomb-laden drone early Sunday toward the southern Saudi city of Najran, but it was shot down, the Arab coalition command said.

Colonel Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman of the coalition, said the drone was aimed at civilian targets in the city.

"The terrorist Houthi militia launched it in a systematic and deliberate manner to target civilian objects and civilians in the city of Najran," Al-Maliki said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Sunday's drone attack followed another one on Saturday that was also intercepted by Saudi Air Defense Forces.

The Iran-backed Houthi militia had been accused of continuing to supply weapons to Houthi militias in Yemen through a base in Somalia.

The arms traffic has continued despite the naval blockade imposed on Yemen by the Arab Coalition supporting Yemen's legitimate government as well as by the US Navy.

A gang of arms smugglers captured last month has revealed that the Houthis exploit poverty in Yemen to recruit fishermen as weapons smugglers, and send fighters to Iran for military training under cover of “humanitarian” flights from Yemen to Oman, the gang said.

 

 


SDAIA president says Saudi Arabia is building an integrated AI ecosystem

Updated 20 February 2026
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SDAIA president says Saudi Arabia is building an integrated AI ecosystem

RIYADH: Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority President Abdullah Al-Ghamdi says that Saudi Arabia is moving steadily to establish artificial intelligence as a trusted national capability, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Guided by the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, Al-Ghamdi said the goal is to use AI to help develop government services, enhance competitiveness, build human capacity and improve quality of life through a comprehensive strategy based on three main pillars that unlock the potential of this technology and achieve sustainable developmental impact.

“The first pillar focuses on building human capacity and enhancing readiness to engage with AI technologies,” he said.

The second pillar is building an integrated national AI ecosystem that drives expansion and innovation by developing advanced digital infrastructure that enables various sectors to adopt AI applications efficiently, consistently and with effective governance, Al-Ghamdi said.

The third pillar, he said, is governance that ensures responsible and measurable AI through a national framework aligned with international standards.

This came during Al-Ghamdi’s speech at a high-level ministerial session held on Thursday on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi.

He is heading the Saudi delegation, and the session saw broad participation from heads of state, decision-makers and technology leaders from around the world.

Al-Ghamdi also had a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday evening, discussed AI cooperation and expressed his gratitude for hosting the summit and for the hospitality extended to the participants.