Arab Coalition thwarts Armed Houthi Drone Fired towards Abha Airport

The Arab Coalition intercepted an explosive drone launched by the Iran-backed Houthis towards the Abha Airport in Saudi Arabia; the coalition's spokesperson Colonel Turki al-Maliki said on Saturday.

The coalition destroyed the improvised explosive device (IED) that was heading towards the Abha airport, he also said.

Pictures of the wreckage from the explosive drone that tried to target Abha Int'l Airport today. This latest Houthi terrorist attack, which endangered the lives of hundreds of civilians from different nationalities, is a war crime and a flagrant violation of international law. pic.twitter.com/FTAZ4U4Rw6

— Saudi Embassy (@SaudiEmbassyUSA) February 10, 2021

The "terrorist attacks" by the Houthis are a "systematic" and "deliberate" attempt to target civilians, the spokesperson added.

The latest attempted attack comes after a civilian plane in Abha airport caught fire on Wednesday when a Houthi drone hit it.

Remnants of the wreckage show that the explosive drone is of the Qasef type, which is a replica of the Iranian UAV, Ababil T. pic.twitter.com/9kmKOnCXEL

— Saudi Embassy (@SaudiEmbassyUSA) February 10, 2021

The Iran-backed group took responsibility for the attack shortly after the Abha airport was hit.

"The UAV air force targeted the airfields of warplanes at Abha International Airport; used for military purposes to target the Yemeni people – with four drones," Yahya Sarie," Houthi military spokesman also said in a tweet after the attack on Wednesday.

"The strike was accurate, thanks to God."

A US State Department spokesperson also stated that Washington will continue to put pressure on the Iran-backed Houthi militia. This is also in an effort to end the group's "heinous" attacks in the region.

Official Spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Brigadier General Turki Al-Malki said, in a statement on Thursday, that "Joint Coalition forces have intercepted and destroyed this evening (Thursday) a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist, Iran-backed Houthi militia from (Sa'dah) Governorate in a deliberate, systematic manner to target civilians and civilian objects in (Khamis Mushait).