Intercepted drone shrapnel causes injuries at Saudi Arabia's Abha airport

At least twelve people have been injured at Saudi Arabia's Abha airport by shrapnel from a drone intercepted by air defences.

Those injured on Thursday included travellers and workers of various nationalities, the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group said in two statements carried by state media.

Air traffic operations returned to normal after standard safety procedures were carried out, the coalition said.

The coalition has been fighting the Houthis since early 2015, after the group ousted Yemen's internationally recognised government from power in the capital Sanaa.

READ MORE: Yemen's Houthi rebels continuing to violate arms embargo: UN

In the crosshairs

The Houthi rebels often target Abha airport, which lies close to the Yemeni border in Saudi Arabia's south, and other parts of the country with drones and missiles. 

Most are intercepted but there have been a few fatalities and several injuries.

The coalition regularly carries out airstrikes on what it says are Houthi military targets in Yemen.

The United Arab Emirates, a coalition member, twice in January said its forces destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile launch area in Yemen.

It followed an unprecedented drone and missile attacks on the UAE this year claimed by the Houthi rebels.

READ MORE: UAE 'destroys' Houthi ballistic missile as Israel's Herzog visits