A commercial plane caught fire in a drone attack carried out and claimed on Wednesday (February 10) by Yemeni Houthi rebels against Abha airport in southern Saudi Arabia. 

The fire was brought under control and left no casualties, Saudi state television El-Ekhbariyah reported, citing the coalition supporting the Yemeni government and led by Saudi Arabia.

The type of attack perpetrated was not specified, but the coalition had earlier indicated that it had intercepted two armed drones led by the Houthis towards southern Saudi Arabia.

The airliner was parked at the airport, which had already been targeted several times by the Houthis, backed by Shiite Iran, a regional rival to Sunni Saudi Arabia.

Series of operations targeting Saudi Arabia

"A cowardly attack was launched by the Houthi terrorist militia against Abha International Airport. A plane on the ground suffered a fire, which was brought under control," the television said.

According to this source, "necessary measures have been taken to protect civilians".

"Targeting Abha airport is a war crime and endangers the lives of civilian travelers," El-Akhbariyah added, citing the coalition. 

The Houthi "foreign minister" said Tuesday in Sana'a that insurgent operations targeting Saudi Arabia were being carried out in response to Saudi air raids in Yemen.

"I have a message to the new US administration and to the Saudis: stop your attacks and we will stop our attacks on you. It's that simple," Hicham Charaf claimed.

According to him, the rebels intervened in the region of Marib, a stronghold of power, against "movements of extremist groups" who came to strengthen forces loyal to President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

The Saudi air force intervened against the rebels and "we found ourselves obliged to retaliate", he said.

Several drones fired by the Houthis 

The Saudi-led coalition announced the interception on Sunday and Monday of two drones fired from Yemen.

The United States called on the Houthis "to immediately cease attacks affecting civilian areas inside Saudi Arabia and end any further military offensive in Yemen."

>> War in Yemen: a humanitarian drama behind closed doors

For its part, France called on the Yemeni rebels to put an end to their "destabilizing actions", saying it was "very concerned" by their offensive on Marib and denouncing "the ongoing escalation, both in Yemen and in against Saudi Arabia ".

The war in Yemen has left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced, according to international organizations, and caused the world's worst humanitarian crisis, according to the UN.

With AFP

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