Saudi Arabia says intercepts Houthi drones aimed at southern region

DUBAI (Reuters) - The Saudi-led military coalition engaged in Yemen said on Sunday night it intercepted and destroyed a second, explosives-laden drone launched by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement towards southern Saudi Arabia, Saudi state media reported.

No casualties or damage were reported.

The coalition said earlier it had intercepted the first drone launched by the Houthi movement towards the southern region after the group said it had struck the kingdom's Abha International Airport.

The coalition, in statements carried by Saudi state media, said the attacks were aimed at civilian targets but did not specify the sites or mention any damage.

In recent days the coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed several explosive-laden drones launched by the Houthis towards southern border areas.

The Western-backed coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the internationally recognised government from power in the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014.

The United Nations is trying to secure a nationwide ceasefire to pave the way for reviving political negotiations to end the conflict, which is widely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Houthis say they are fighting a corrupt system.

(Reporting by Yousef Saba; Additional reprting by Nayera Abdallah in Cairo, Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Nick Macfie)