Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted drone over eastern Saudi Arabia

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis announced on Friday that it intercepted and destroyed a drone in eastern Saudi Arabia.

"Air defenses intercepted and destroyed a drone in the Eastern Province," coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki wrote on US social media platform X.

No further details were immediately available about the drone or any damage.

The incident comes amid escalating tensions between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, with the coalition reporting repeated interceptions of missiles and drones targeting the kingdom.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthis seized Sanaa and other provinces in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in support of the government in 2015.

A period of relative calm since April 2022 ended with renewed fighting in July, leaving 12,000 people dead or wounded, according to the UN.