Saudi air defences intercept 11 Houthi armed drones: State TV

Houthi supporters shout slogans during an anti-US and Saudi rally in Sana’a, Yemen, on June 6, 2021. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

DUBAI (REUTERS) - Saudi Arabian air defences on Saturday (June 19) destroyed 11 armed drones launched by Yemen's Houthi movement towards the south of the kingdom, state TV cited the Saudi-led coalition as saying.

The Houthi military spokesman said on Twitter that one drone was launched at a military base in Khamis Mushait.

The coalition said two further drones were fired at Khamis Mushait, while eight drones were fired towards the south of the kingdom, the latest of which was aimed towards the city of Najran, according to state TV.

All of these were intercepted.

The Iran-aligned Houthis have frequently targeted Khamis Mushait and other Saudi cities along the frontier in the more than six-year-old Yemen war.

A military coalition led by Riyadh intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government from the capital Sanaa.

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