SRINAGAR: One person was killed and two others injured in Saudi Arabia’s Taif on Thursday after debris from a drone intercepted over the western city fell onto populated areas, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
A Civil Defence spokesperson said emergency crews were deployed after fragments from the downed drone landed in several parts of Taif. A Yemeni resident died in the incident, while a Saudi woman and a Pakistani resident sustained injuries. The Pakistani national was reported to be in critical condition.
The falling debris also damaged several buildings and vehicles, according to the Saudi authorities.
Saudi Arabia said the drone had been launched by Yemen’s Houthi group. The Houthis had not immediately commented on the allegation.
The incident came two days after Saudi authorities said their air defences had intercepted and destroyed another drone allegedly launched towards Mecca before it entered the holy city’s restricted airspace. The Houthis denied responsibility for that incident.
The Saudi-led coalition said the attempted strike was the second effort to target Mecca since 2017.
Saudi Arabia has reported several missile and drone attacks attributed to the Houthis in recent days amid heightened regional tensions.
Meanwhile, fighting between Yemen’s internationally recognised government forces and the Houthis has intensified since early July, ending a period of relative calm that had broadly prevailed since a UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022.
Yemen’s conflict began in September 2014, when the Houthis seized control of the capital, Sanaa, and several provinces. Saudi Arabia subsequently led a military coalition that intervened in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government.
