Saudi Arabia’s air force shot down two Houthi drones in Yemen on Tuesday, the country’s state news agency said.
The first drone was launched from the capital, Sanaa, but was destroyed in Yemeni airspace on Tuesday morning, the Saudi Press Agency quoted Arab coalition spokesman Col Turki Al Malki as saying.
“The repeated failed attacks are a desperate measure by the Houthis to increase their terrorist acts at the expense of human lives,” the Saudi official said.
Col Al Malki denounced the attacks, saying the Houthis’ “hostile and terrorist acts have been rated as war crimes according to international humanitarian law”.
“The operations launched by the Houthi militias are doomed to fail and the coalition aims to prevent civilian casualties when responding to any threat,” he said.
The second drone was launched from the Harf Sufyan District in Amran Governorate, northwest of Sanaa, on Tuesday afternoon, but was also destroyed in Yemeni airspace.
“The Houthis are continuing to violate international laws by launching ballistics missiles that threaten the lives of dozens of civilians,” Col Al Malki said.
The development comes as coalition forces intercepted dozens of Houthi drones launched towards the Kingdom from Yemen during the last few days.
Earlier on Sunday, the coalition shot down a drone launched by the rebels towards Khamis Mushait in south-west Saudi Arabia.
On Sunday, the coalition intercepted six ballistic missiles launched from the Yemeni province of Saada against Saudi citizens in the city of Jizan.
Most of the attacks by the Iran-backed rebels were intercepted by Saudi air forces, but some have caused deaths and injuries, including two strikes on Abha airport in June and July.
Saudi Arabia, with allies including the UAE, has been fighting for the internationally recognised Yemeni government against the rebels since 2015.
The Houthis, who seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014, have increased drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent months.
The coalition intervened in the war at the request of President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi, who was forced to flee Sanaa and seek refuge in Saudi Arabia.