Yemen: Houthis claim drone attack on airports in southern Saudi Arabia

Yemen's Houthi movement on Monday said its armed drones had struck an airport and airbase in Saudi Arabia, with the Saudi-led coalition confirming it had intercepted an explosive drone. 

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said three drones had hit military targets at Abha airport and the King Khalid airbase in Khamis Mushait. 

Riyadh did not immediately confirm the attack that the attacks had struck these targets, but the coalition said it had intercepted a drone early on Monday fired towards Khamis Mushait. 

This attack is the first Houthi drone attack to strike Saudi Arabia in over a week as drone attacks from Yemen continue to escalate. 

Earlier this month, the Saudi-led coalition said it stopped a volley of drones and missiles aimed at several targets.

The targets included an oil storage yard in Ras Tanura, which houses the world's biggest offshore oil loading facility used by Saudi Aramco and a residential complex.

Saudi Arabia began its intervention in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the Saudi-backed government from power in the capital Sanaa. 

Widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the continued fighting has led to the displacement of millions and the world's largest humanitarian crisis. 

Both the United Nations and the United States urged the Houthis to join the negotiating table as it continues to take control of government-held Marib city in Yemen.

Houthi official Mohammed Ali al-Houthi also said on Monday that he felt "positive" about US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's comments on supporting a Yemen free from foreign influence.

He called on Washington to back up its statement by ending its military involvement in military operations by the Saudi-led coalition.