RIYADH — The Arab Coalition forces on Thursday intercepted and destroyed several ballistic missiles and armed drones launched by the Iran-backed Houthis, targeting Saudi Arabia. In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency on Thursday, the official spokesman of the coalition Col. Turki Al-Maliki said: "This morning (Thursday), Joint Coalition Forces intercepted and destroyed a number of ballistic missiles and bomb-laden drones launched by the terrorist, Iran-backed Houthi militia toward the Kingdom to deliberately and systematically target civilians and civilian objects." The spokesman added the Houthi militia is deliberately escalating the hostile, terrorist targeting of civilians and civilian objects using ballistic missiles and bomb-laden drones. "The Joint Forces of the Coalition have exhibited its great competence in countering and thwarting these threats through monitoring in Houthi-controlled areas and intercepting and destroying said threats," the statement read. "The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition will continue to implement all necessary precautions to protect civilians and civilian objects, and all required operational procedures to stop such terrorist acts and failed attempts in accordance with the Customary International Humanitarian Law," the statement added. Earlier in the day, the Coalition said that its forces intercepted and destroyed an explosive-laden drone launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen toward targeting civilians and civilian facilities in Najran early Thursday. This is for the third consecutive day, the Coalition forces have intercepted and destroyed armed drones launched toward the Kingdom. On Tuesday, the Coalition intercepted and destroyed an armed drone launched by the Houthis, and they stopped another UAV early Wednesday morning launched toward the southern region of the Kingdom. The Houthi militia has stepped up cross-border drone attacks recently in blatant defiance of the international humanitarian law and its customary rules.
