RIYADH: Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that it had intercepted a fresh wave of incoming drones, as its ally Egypt weighed sending the kingdom help in defending against repeated attacks from Yemen's Houthis.
Riyadh leads a military coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognised government in its war with the Houthis, and a military spokesman for the Iran-backed group said Saturday that dozens of Saudi strikes over the past day had killed and wounded "numerous" people.
Since Yemen's conflict flared back to life in July after a years-long hiatus, Saudi Arabia has faced sustained Houthi missile and drone attacks targeting its oil installations, tankers and transit hubs, including one on Riyadh's airport last week that killed 13 people.
A spokesman for the Saudi coalition said on Saturday that it had "intercepted and destroyed four drones over the past few hours in the regions of Riyadh, the Eastern Province, and the South."
The interceptions came as the president of Egypt, which is also a member of the coalition, said he was willing to "carry out any measure to protect" Saudi Arabia if its leaders requested it.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egypt was not looking to intervene in regional wars, but added that it was "inconceivable" for Cairo to stand by while the kingdom was "harmed or its security and stability threatened."
"I'm not talking about fighting anyone or attacking anyone," he said. "We are speaking only about defence."
Though Egypt is a member of the anti-Houthi coalition, its role has mostly concerned Red Sea maritime security rather than the fighting in Yemen.
It and Saudi Arabia are historically close and have strategic economic ties.
Egypt's parliament will hold an emergency session on Sunday at Sisi's request.
The repeated Houthi strikes have prompted foreign embassies to warn their citizens not to use Saudi airports, or not to visit the country altogether.
The Saudi education ministry on Saturday announced the extension of remote learning measures for students in Riyadh and nearby Diriyah.
Residents of the Saudi capital received a mobile phone alert early on Sunday warning of a "hostile aerial threat" and to stay away from windows and doors. It was lifted after a few minutes.
- 'POLITICAL PROCESS' -
Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of encouraging the Houthis' recent escalation, a charge Tehran denies.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Saturday that Tehran supported a "comprehensive political process as the only practical and sustainable way to resolve" the conflict on the Arabian Peninsula.
He also repeated Iran's offer to mediate between the two sides.
Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh previously said Riyadh has not responded to Iran's overture.
But Yemeni Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba rejected Iran's offer in a statement on X Saturday, saying "the Teheran regime is a party to the war against Yemenis, not a mediator."
The Houthis are part of Iran's "Axis of Resistance" against Israel and the United States, but both they and Teheran insist the group acts independently.
Saudi Arabia has carried out daily airstrikes on the Houthis in Yemen, where government forces are seeking to roll back gains the group made in a lightning offensive in September.
On Saturday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said Riyadh had conducted 53 strikes in the capital Sanaa and six other provinces over the past 24 hours, causing "numerous dead and wounded."
A Houthi-affiliated news agency had earlier accused Saudi warplanes of targeting "civilian residences" in Dhamar and Taiz provinces, killing 12 people and wounding more than 30.
It alleged that the strikes were carried out "using cluster bombs, which are banned internationally."--AFP
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