The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis said it had intercepted and destroyed a drone over the kingdom’s Eastern Province.
“The air defenses intercepted and destroyed a drone in the Eastern Province,” coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki wrote. He did not say where the aircraft had been launched from, what type it was, or what target it had been heading toward.
No casualties or material damage were reported. It was also unclear whether the drone had been destroyed before entering the area of a specific facility. The Eastern Province is Saudi Arabia’s most important oil-producing region and includes key fields, processing facilities and terminals.
Series of reports about drones
The incident is part of a series of reports about aerial threats against the kingdom. Reuters reported that, in a separate statement, the coalition said it had intercepted two drones, which it said had been launched by the Houthis. One was shot down over the Riyadh region and the other over the Eastern Province.
At the same time, the Houthis said they had attacked a pumping station on Saudi Arabia’s “East–West” oil pipeline, an oil facility in Yanbu and a “Saudi Aramco” building in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has not confirmed these claims, and reports of damage have not been independently verified.
The new escalation is unfolding against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Yemen. The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, and a year later Saudi Arabia led a military coalition in support of the internationally recognized government.
For now, the confirmed information is limited to the coalition’s announcement that it had intercepted the drone. No details have been published about the air defense system used, where the debris fell or any possible subsequent actions.
Sources: aa.com.tr, dawn.com, apnews.com