Saudi-led coalition intercepts Houthi drone over Eastern Region

CAIRO: The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said on Saturday it had intercepted and destroyed a drone over Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern Region, as cross-border attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group continued amid the wider US-Israeli war on Iran.

The Eastern Region, Saudi Arabia’s economic hub, has faced repeated attacks in recent weeks. It holds most of the kingdom’s oil and gas reserves and is home to the headquarters of state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco, which sustained extensive damage in an attack earlier this month.

The coalition also reported intercepting and destroying another drone launched by the Houthis towards Saudi Arabia’s Southern Region.

The latest incidents follow a similar interception on Friday, when the coalition said it had destroyed a Houthi drone over the Madina region. The Houthis denied carrying out an attack that day.

Cross-border hostilities between the Saudi-led coalition, which supports Yemen’s internationally recognised government, and the Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa, have intensified amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, adding another front to the regional confrontation.

Madina is home to one of Islam’s holiest sites and receives millions of Muslim pilgrims each year. The Houthis have repeatedly denied targeting the holy cities of Madina and Makkah, rejecting Saudi allegations that they had launched drones towards them.

Earlier attacks

A day ago, Saudi Arabia’s claim of intercepting a Houthi drone in the Makkah region on Friday was rejected by the Yemen-based group, which denied launching any attack against the kingdom. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said the drone had been destroyed, while Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree described the claim as a “massive and egregious fabrication”. Saree said the group’s operations targeted Saudi oil facilities and military bases, but did not provide details.

The exchange came amid renewed fighting between the Houthis and forces backed by Saudi Arabia, with the group stepping up attacks on Saudi targets and positions held by Yemen’s internationally recognised government. The Houthis have repeatedly denied targeting Makkah and Madina, Islam’s two holiest cities, despite previous Saudi reports of attempted missile and drone attacks in the areas.

Tensions have also escalated inside Yemen. On Wednesday, strikes attributed to Saudi Arabia killed at least 14 people and wounded 10 others in Houthi-controlled areas of northwestern Jawf province, according to the Houthi broadcaster Almasirah. The reported casualties included women and children.

In a separate incident, a Houthi missile struck within the perimeter of Aden airport, according to a local police source cited by AFP. A Saudi military aircraft was reportedly at the airport at the time but was not hit and took off shortly afterwards. The Houthis had urged people to evacuate the airport, claiming a Saudi military cargo plane was carrying weapons. That claim was not independently verified.

The group has also targeted Aden in recent weeks, including the airport and the area around the presidential palace. The renewed hostilities followed the collapse of a fragile truce in July and have intensified alongside the wider Middle East conflict following US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February.