Houthis urge Saudi citizens to avoid Abha's Airport, military objects: Reports

Yemen's Houthi rebels have called on Saudi citizens to avoid possible scenes of conflict, including Abha's airport, which they called a military target, as reported by the Yemeni broadcaster Al Masirah on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Saudi Arabia's air force shot down a drone launched by the Houthis over Abha International Airport, which resulted in the injuries of 12 civilians caused by shrapnel.

"Yemen's army hit the target in Abha's airport precisely, which is used to launch strikes against Yemen. Abha's airport is a military object and our target, so we urge civilians to stay away from military objects," Al Masirah said, citing Houthis' army command.

On February 8, the commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said the United States would deploy a squadron of F-22 fighters to the United Arab Emirates to thwart drone attacks launched by Houthis.

Houthis resumed attacks on the UAE in January, in what they said was a response to Emirati involvement in hostilities against the movement in Yemen, locked in an armed conflict between the government forces led by President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and the Houthi rebels for several years.

Since March 2015, the Saudi-led Arab alliance, working in cooperation with Hadi's forces, has been conducting air, land, and sea operations against the rebels, who control the capital of Sanaa and large areas in northern and western Yemen. (ANI/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )