RIYADH — 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.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Dr. Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen has strongly condemned the terrorist Houthi militias continued launching of a bomb-laden UAVs towards civilians and civilian objects in Saudi Arabia.

In a statement issued Wednesday, he commended the vigilance of the Forces of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen who intercepted and destroyed the drone launched this morning by the Iran-backed terrorist Houthi militias to target civilians in the southern region of the Kingdom Saudi Arabia.— SG