Arab Coalition Downs Houthi Drone Fired at Khamis Mushait

Arab coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki. (Reuters)
Arab coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki. (Reuters)
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Arab Coalition Downs Houthi Drone Fired at Khamis Mushait

Arab coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki. (Reuters)
Arab coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki. (Reuters)

The Saudi-led Arab coalition announced on Monday that it had intercepted and downed a booby-trapped drone, launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen towards Saudi territories.

Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said the aircraft was flown towards civilian areas in Khamis Mushait city.

He slammed the “terrorist operation”, saying it was another example of the Houthis’ deliberate targeting of civilians. The latest such incident took place on Saturday with the militias attempting to attack Saudi Arabia’s Najran city.

The Houthis’ ongoing hostile and terrorist acts are a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law,” he added.

The coalition will take all firm measures to “neutralize and destroy the Houthi capabilities in order to protect innocent civilians from such reckless acts,” Malki vowed.



Trump Says May Visit Saudi Arabia Next Month

US President Donald Trump takes part in a signing of an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump takes part in a signing of an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)
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Trump Says May Visit Saudi Arabia Next Month

US President Donald Trump takes part in a signing of an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump takes part in a signing of an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 31 March 2025. (EPA)

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he plans to visit Saudi Arabia as early as May in what will be the first foreign trip of his second term, with stops also planned in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

"It could be next month, maybe a little later," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Four sources briefed on the matter said mid-May was being looked at as the timing for the trip. Trump made Saudi Arabia and Israel the initial stops on his inaugural foreign trip during his first term in 2017.

Topics likely to be discussed include Russia's three-year-old war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza, one source said.

Saudi Arabia has played a prominent role in US foreign policy, including hosting US ceasefire talks with Russia and Ukraine.

"An opportunity for international travel for the president is something that is being looked at. We don’t yet have a specific plan, and we will provide that information when it is official," a White House official said ahead of Trump's remarks.