1 killed, 2 injured by falling Houthi drone debris in western Saudi Arabia
One person was killed and two others were injured Thursday by debris from a drone Saudi authorities said was launched by Yemen’s Houthis and intercepted over the western city of Taif, according to the Saudi Press Agency. A Civil Defense spokesperson said emergency teams responded after fragments from the intercepted drone fell across parts of the city, the agency reported.
Mock drones and missiles are seen after they were set up by Houthi followers at a popular square on March 21, 2022 in Sana’a, Yemen [Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images]
One person was killed and two others were injured Thursday by debris from a drone Saudi authorities said was launched by Yemen’s Houthis and intercepted over the western city of Taif, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
A Civil Defense spokesperson said emergency teams responded after fragments from the intercepted drone fell across parts of the city, the agency reported.
A Yemeni resident was killed, while a Saudi woman and a Pakistani resident were injured, the spokesperson said, adding that the Pakistani national was in critical condition.
The falling debris also caused material damage to several buildings and vehicles.
Saudi authorities said the drone had been launched by Yemen’s Houthi group, according to the report.
READ: Saudi Arabia issues emergency alerts over ‘potential danger’ in Jeddah, Mecca, Taif
There was no immediate comment from the Houthis on the Saudi statement.
Saudi Arabia said Tuesday that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed a drone allegedly launched by the Houthis toward Mecca before it entered the holy city’s restricted airspace. The Yemeni group denied responsibility.
The Saudi-led coalition said it was the second attempt to target Mecca since 2017.
Saudi Arabia has faced a series of missile and drone attacks attributed to the Houthis in recent days amid escalating regional tensions.
Fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis has also intensified since early July.
The renewed clashes have ended a period of relative calm that had largely held since a UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.
READ: Houthis release footage purportedly showing wreckage of downed Saudi F-15