Yemen's Houthis rebels launch drone attack on Saudi Arabia's air base

Yemen's Houthi rebels said they launched a bomb-laden drone attack on the King Khalid Air Base in Saudi Arabia's southern city of Khamis Mushait.

"The hit was accurate," militia spokesman Yehya Sarea said in a statement on Sunday aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

However, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV reported that "the Saudi-led coalition intercepted and destroyed a bomb-laden drone that the Houthi militia launched early Sunday towards Khamis Mushait", reports Xinhua news agency.

The Houthi attack came a day after an Omani high-level delegation arrived in the capital Sanaa as part of international diplomatic efforts to convince the rebels to accept a recent UN-proposed ceasefire between the Yemeni warring sides.

The Iran-backed Houthis began in February a major offensive against the Saudi-backed Yemeni government army to capture the oil-rich province of Marib, which hosts nearly 2 million internally displaced people.

The UN has warned the offensive on Marib could lead to a major humanitarian catastrophe.

A Houthi missile attack on a gas station in Marib on Saturday killed 17 residents, including a five-year-old girl.

--IANS

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