Saudi-led coalition downs 6 armed drones launched by Houthis

Al-Monitor Staff

Mar 5, 2021

A picture taken on June 19, 2018 shows debris of Iranian-made Ababil drones displayed Abu Dhabi, which the Emirati armed forces say were used by Houthi rebels in Yemen in battles against the coalition forces led by the UAE and Saudi Arabia. - The United Arab Emirates has US-trained troops fighting alongside the Yemeni army against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. (Photo by KARIM SAHIB / AFP) (Photo credit should read KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images) — Pieces of Iranian-made Ababil drones are displayed in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on June 19, 2018. Emirati armed forces officials said the drones were used by Houthi rebels in Yemen in battles against coalition forces led by the UAE and Saudi Arabia. — KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen says its downed six armed drones fired by the Houthis on Friday, the latest in a surge of rebel attacks on the Gulf kingdom.

“Joint Coalition Forces have intercepted and destroyed this afternoon [Friday] a bomb-laden UAV launched systematically and deliberately by the terrorist Houthi militia to target civilians and civilian objects in Khamis Mushait,” coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Malki said, referencing the southwestern Saudi city near the Yemen border.