Saudi-led coalition launches operation against Houthi targets in Yemen

RIYADH -- The Saudi Arabia-led coalition announced Thursday the launch of a military operation against Houthi military targets in Yemen, Al Arabiya TV reported.

The operation was launched after the Houthi rebels launched armed drone attacks on Tuesday against two Saudi oil pump stations, causing limited fire and damages.

The collation's spokesperson Turki al-Malki said that the operation aimed to neutralize the ability of the Houthi militia to carry out "acts of aggression."

The coalition airstrikes targeted Houthi ammunition warehouses and military posts in the Mountain of Attan in Sanaa.

"The operation conforms to international laws. We have taken all the (required) measures to protect civilians," al-Malki said, while urging civilians to stay away from the targeted locations.

Al-Malki accused the Houthi rebels of turning Sanaa's International Airport into a military barricade to launch drones and carry out terror operations that threaten regional and international security.

He said that such practices were a clear and blatant violation of international and humanitarian laws.

The Saudi-led coalition has been intervening in the civil war in Yemen since 2015 to fight the Houthi rebels who seized Yemen's northern provinces, including the capital of Sanaa.