Sanaa, Feb 11 (IANS) Yemen's Houthi militia has claimed responsibility for a bomb-laden drone attack on Abha airport in Saudi Arabia.

'The attack hit a military object at the airport accurately,' Yehya Sarea, Houthi military Spokesman said on Thursday in a statement reported by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition said the Houthi militia chose blatant escalation by targeting civilian airports in Saudi Arabia, Xinhua news agency reported.

'We give 72 hours for civilians in Sanaa to evacuate civilian sites used militarily by the Houthi militia,' the coalition added in a statement reported by the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV.

The Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi militia has recently intensified cross-border ballistic missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Houthi militia lost several strategic districts in the oil-rich provinces of Shabwa and Marib in central Yemen in January.

--IANS

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