The Arab Coalition said on Wednesday its forces intercepted and destroyed an armed drone launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militia. In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the Coalition spokesman Brig. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) targeted civilian areas in southern Saudi Arabia. "Joint Coalition Forces have intercepted and destroyed this morning (Wednesday) a bomb-laden UAV launched systematically and deliberately by the terrorist Houthi militia to target civilians and civilian objects in the Southern Region," Al-Maliki said. The Houthi militia has stepped up cross-border drone attacks recently in blatant defiance of the international humanitarian law and its customary rules. — SG