Yemen’s Houthis rebels targeted the Najran Airport in southern Saudi Arabia, for the third time this week on Thursday. The Najran Airport reportedly houses a military base. The Saudi coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maki said the drone was intercepted, "An explosive-laden drone sent by the terrorist Houthi militia to target Najran airport – which is used by thousands of civilians daily – was intercepted and destroyed by the Saudi air force." The Saudis are known to target hospitals, markets, school buses and residential areas in their airstrikes in Yemen.
The Houthis TV station Al Masirah said the attack targeted a Patriot missile air defense system, they also said more attacks against Saudi targets would be coming. Last week the Houthis targeted an oil pipeline inside Saudi Arabia in what they said was "a response to the aggressors continuing to commit genocide."
Earlier this week the Saudis claimed they intercepted two Houthi missiles fired from Yemen, one of which supposedly heading for Mecca. The Houthis denied they targeted Mecca, "The Saudi regime is trying, through these allegations, to rally support for its brutal aggression against our great Yemeni people," Yahya Sarea, the groups military spokesman, said on Facebook.
Dave DeCamp is a freelance journalist based in Brooklyn NY, focusing on US Foreign policy and wars. He is on Twitter at @decampdave.
The intent is not to destroy but to learn how to circumvent it next time.
Self defense.