RIYADH — The Arab Coalition said on Monday 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 drone targeted civilian areas in southern Saudi Arabia.

“The Joint Coalition Forces have intercepted and destroyed this afternoon (Monday) a bomb-laden UAV launched systematically and deliberately by the terrorist Houthi militia to target civilians and civilian objects in the southern region.”

The Houthi militia has stepped up cross-border drone attacks recently in blatant defiance of the international humanitarian law and its customary rules. — SG