March 25 (Reuters) - The Saudi-led coalition battling Houthi forces in Yemen said on Thursday it had intercepted and destroyed several explosive-laden drones aimed at the kingdom, state TV reported.
The coalition said the Iran-aligned group attempted to target universities in both Najran and Jazan, Saudi cities near the Yemeni border. The coalition said it had destroyed the one targeting Najran, as well as five additional explosive-laden drones fired by the Houthis aimed at the kingdom.
The drone attacks come days after Riyadh presented a new peace initiative that includes a nationwide ceasefire.
The Houthis have recently stepped up drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, including on oil facilities, and a ground offensive to seize Yemen's gas-rich Marib region. The coalition has responded with air strikes on Houthi military sites.
Yemen has been mired in violence since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the internationally recognised government from power in the capital Sanaa.
The conflict is widely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Houthis, who now control most of northern Yemen, deny being puppets of Tehran and say they are fighting a corrupt system and foreign aggression.
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