The Houthi group has targeted an arms depot at Najran Airport in Saudi Arabia, sparking a fire in the place, amid tensions between Riyadh and the Iran-backed group, the Al-Masirah TV, run by Houthis in Yemen, said on Tuesday.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The Saudi-led military coalition said earlier on Tuesday that the Houthis had “tried to target a civilian facility in Najran with a plane carrying explosives.”
The Houthi group “attempted to target one of the vital facilities in the city of Najran, which is used by civilians and residents, through the use of a drone carrying explosives,” the state-run Saudi news agency SPA, quoted the coalition spokesperson as saying.
SPA quoted a Saudi military official confirming that no injuries or damages were reported following the attack.
Moreover, the Houthis denied on Monday what was published in Saudi media reports that the group had fired a ballistic missile toward Mecca.
The conflict in Yemen erupted in September 2014, when the Ansar Allah “Houthi” group, backed by Iran, seized control of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. Following the Houthi action, Saudi Arabia, the closest regional power to Yemen, announced in March 2015, the formation of a Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen.
Besides Saudi Arabia, the coalition includes the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Pakistan, Djibouti, Sudan, Senegal, Kuwait, Morocco, Malaysia, and Egypt, as well as the internationally recognised government of Yemen. Qatar was also part of the coalition until the breakdown of the Gulf crisis in May 2017.
Last week, two Saudi oil-pumping stations affiliated with the east-west pipeline were hit by explosive-laden drones. It came a day after Riyadh said two of its oil tankers were among four vessels attacked off the coast of the UAE.
Subsequently, Al-Masirah TV, said that the Houthi group had launched drone attacks on Saudi installations, without identifying the targets.
Al-Masirah’s report cited a Houthi military official as saying that “seven drones carried out attacks on vital Saudi installations.” On Twitter, Al-Masirah cited the official as saying, “This large military operation is in response to the continued aggression and blockade of our people, and we are prepared to carry out more unique and harsh strikes.”
