SANAA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi rebels said they launched a new drone strike on Abha regional airport in southern Saudi Arabia on Monday night, the Houthi television channel reported.

This was the second attack claimed by the Houthi rebels against the same airport in fewer than 24 hours.

"A number of bomb-laden drones launched a large-scale attack at Abha airport," the television quoted the group's military spokesman Yahya Sarea as saying.

"We confirm that the attacks forced the air traffic at the airport to stop ... We will declare details of the operation within next hours," he said.

There was no confirmation from Saudi Arabia or the Saudi-led coalition on the alleged attack.

In the morning, the Houthis said they launched a drone attack on Abha airport, targeting the runway. However, Saudi Arabia did not comment on the rebels' claim.

If confirmed, Monday's night attack would be the fifth to be claimed by the Iran-allied Yemeni rebels against the airport in no more than a week.

The missile attack on June 12 wounded 26 people at the airport, according to the Saudi authorities.

Abha is about 200 km north of the Yemeni border.

The rebels have threatened to target more Saudi airports, demanding an immediate end to the war and lift of all-out blockade imposed by the Saudi-led coalition.

Vowing an action to deter the Yemeni Shiite rebels, Saudi Arabia has stepped up airstrikes against Houthi military sites in and around the capital Sanaa over the past days.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates led a coalition to intervene in Yemen's civil war in 2015 to restore the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Enditem

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