RIYADH — The Arab Coalition forces intercepted and destroyed an explosive-laden Houthi drone launched towards Saudi Arabia’s Khamis Mushait, the Coalition said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Saturday.

The militia’s attempts to launch explosive-laden drones have been repelled, and the coalition is taking strict measures to protect civilians, SPA reported. This is one of the Iran-backed group’s hostile and deliberate attempts to target civilians and civilian objects in the Kingdom.

The Coalition on Thursday destroyed three explosive-laden Houthi drones fired toward Khamis Mushait.

The Iran-backed group has recently ramped up its attacks on Saudi Arabia, launching dozens of explosive-laden drones and ballistic missiles, most of which the Coalition and Saudi defense forces have managed to intercept and destroy.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni government has called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to take a tougher approach with the terrorist Houthi militia and ensure its serious commitment to the peace path.

The government also called on the Security Council to condemn the military escalation, carried out by the terrorist Houthi militia, in addition to its attacks on civilian objects inside Yemen and in Saudi Arabia's territories and to put pressure on the rebels and the Iranian regime that stands behind them to stop their destabilizing activities in Yemen and the region.

This came in a statement delivered by Yemen's representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Abdullah Al-Saadi, according to the official Yemeni news agency (Saba).

In Jeddah, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General Dr. Yousef Bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen expressed in a statement Saturday his strong condemnation and denunciation of the repeated attempts by the Houthi terrorist militia to target innocent civilians in Saudi Arabia with booby-trapped drones.

He praised the efficiency and capabilities of the Saudi air defenses, which were able Saturday to intercept and destroy one of those drones before reaching its target in Khamis Mushait in the Kingdom.

Dr. Al-Othaimeen stressed that the organization condemns the terrorist practices committed by the Houthi militia and those who stand behind it and provide it with money and weapons.

He reiterated the OIC's support for all measures taken by the Kingdom to maintain its security, stability, and the safety of its citizens and residents. — SPA