RIYADH: The Arab coalition said Friday that Saudi air defenses have intercepted an explosive-laden drone launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia towards Khamis Mushait, AlEkhbariya reported.
The militia, backed by Iran’s regime, regularly employs drones to target the Kingdom.
The coalition said the group’s “aggressive attempts to target civilians have been thwarted and destroyed”, adding that operational measures were being taken to “deal with the sources of threats”.
The Arab coalition is supporting the internationally recognized Yemeni government whose control of the country is partial after the Houthis took over the capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and now control large swaths of territory.
The Houthis have been condemned for targeting civilian sites in the Kingdom, an act which Saudi Arabia and the coalition say is tantamount to war crimes.
On Monday, the coalition knocked down two other drones heading toward the city, located in the southern province of Asir.
The attacks come days after the UN named veteran Swedish diplomat Hans Grundberg as new special envoy for Yemen, seeking to find new ground for peace talks between the government and the Houthis.
Grundberg’s appointment was widely welcomed by the international community amid renewed hopes of an end to the seven-year war.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the Kingdom would stand by the new envoy.
“We wish him success in his new role and look forward to working with him. The Kingdom will continue to support all efforts to reach a political solution that helps bring peace and prosperity to Yemen,” Prince Faisal said on Twitter.
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi welcomed Grundberg’s appointment, and called on his government to cooperate with him and facilitate his tasks to enhance peace opportunities.
But chief Houthi negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam said on Sunday that the group had no plans to meet the new envoy, and such a meeting would be pointless because Grundberg had “nothing in his hands.”
“There is no use in having any dialogue before airports and ports are opened as a humanitarian necessity and priority,” said Abdulsalam, who is based in Oman.
Efforts to reach a peaceful settlement in Yemen, sponsored by Grundberg’s predecessor Martin Griffiths, failed as the Houthis refused to put into place a nationwide truce and stop their deadly offensive on the central city of Marib.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was great international support for addressing the humanitarian crisis and ending the Yemen conflict.
“There is unprecedented consensus on resolving the conflict and a real opportunity for peace. Only a durable agreement among Yemenis can reverse the dire humanitarian crisis,” Blinken said in a statement.
