Saudi
air defenses intercepted Yemeni rebel drones targeting civilian airports on
Monday, a Riyadh-led military coalition said, as the rebels ramp up cross-border
attacks.
The
coalition, in a statement published on Saudi state media, said the strikes were
"simultaneous" but did not specify the targets or number of drones
intercepted.
The
Iran-aligned Houthi rebels' Al-Masirah television earlier said their drones targeted
civilian airports in the southern cities of Abha and Najran as well as King
Khaled airbase in Khamis Mushait.
The
strikes come just days after the rebels carried out a deadly attack on a
security training camp near Yemen's government-held second city Aden.
The
rebels said they launched a drone and a ballistic missile at the camp.
The
Houthi rebels – who have faced persistent coalition bombing since March
2015, which has exacted a heavy civilian death toll – have stepped up missile and
drone attacks across the border in recent weeks.
Nine
civilians were wounded in a July 3 Houthi attack on Abha airport, the coalition
said.
A
June 12 missile attack on the same airport wounded 26 civilians, drawing
warnings of "stern action" from the coalition.
And
on June 23, a rebel attack on Abha airport killed a Syrian and wounded 21 other
civilians, the coalition said.
