Drone debris kills one in Saudi Arabia’s Taif
Debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed one person and injured two others in Saudi Arabia’s Taif province, the Saudi civil defense said Thursday. The civil defense said the falling debris also damaged vehicles and buildings in the western province.
One Yemeni was killed, and a Saudi citizen and a Pakistani national were injured, officials said.
The civil defense statement did not give details on when the incident occurred.
The update came amid an ongoing escalation between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces in Yemen. Government forces have launched attacks against Houthi rebels along the Red Sea, and the Houthis have fired into neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen’s government.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia accused the Houthis of trying to attack Mecca with a drone. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca.
In a social media post on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said a claim of intercepting a drone should not be turned into an accusation of any specific party or used to escalate tensions. He also condemned attacks on Islamic holy sites.
The Houthis claimed Wednesday that they shot down an F-15 fighter jet operated by the Saudi-backed coalition over Yemen’s central province of Marib, though they did not say when it happened.
In a video released by the rebel group’s media channels, Houthi fighters were shown gathering around what they described as the wreckage of an F-15 emblazoned with a Saudi flag. The Associated Press could not independently verify the claim.
Spokespeople for the Saudi-led coalition and the Saudi government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
