UPDATE - Saudi-led coalition intercepts Houthi drone in Medina region
- Coalition on Friday has reported 4 Houthi attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, including ballistic and cruise missiles
UPDATES WITH YEMENI GOVERNMENT STATEMENT, HOUTHI DENIAL
By Abdulsalam Fayez and Sahin Demir
ISTANBUL (AA) – The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen announced Friday that it had intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by the Houthi group in the Medina region of western Saudi Arabia.
Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said in a statement that its air defenses had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone in the region.
The incident marked the fourth reported Houthi attack targeting Saudi Arabia on Friday.
The Yemeni government condemned the renewed Houthi attacks on the Maashiq Presidential Palace in Aden for the second time and Aden International Airport for the seventh time, along with an alleged attempt to target Mecca, calling them a dangerous escalation threatening regional security and disregarding the sanctity of Islamic holy sites.
In a statement, the government said the attacks threatened state institutions and civilian facilities and expressed full solidarity with Saudi Arabia.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied carrying out any operations targeting Saudi territory, rejecting the coalition’s claim that it had intercepted a drone over Medina.
On US social media platform X, Saree accused Saudi Arabia of fabricating the allegation.
In earlier statements, the coalition announced the interception and destruction of a ballistic missile targeting the southern region, a cruise missile heading toward the western region, and a drone in the Mecca region.
Şahin Demir