DUBAI: The Arab coalition intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone targeting Saudi Arabia’s Khamis Mushait on Friday, state news agency SPA reported. Spokesman Col Turki Al-Maliki said the militia’s attempts to attack civilians in a deliberate and systematic manner constitute war crimes. He added that the coalition implements the necessary measures to protect civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law and its customary rules. Earlier on Thursday, the coalition also intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired by Houthis towards Jazan. The attack on Jazan comes days after the coalition thwarted a ballistic missile attack by the Iranian-backed Houthis on the Saudi capital Riyadh, and destroyed six armed drones launched towards cities in the Kingdom’s south. The Kingdom has seen an increase in attacks by the militia after a Houthi attack on the Kingdom’s Abha International airport in February. Yemen’s Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak condemned recent attacks by the Houthis, saying that they hindered the peace process and blamed Iran for the ongoing crisis in the country. “The Iranian interventions have become a formidable obstruction to peace as Iran has turned the Yemeni conflict into a negotiating card that Iranian regime capitalizes on to serve its nuclear negotiations,” he said.