Saudi-led coalition intercepts Houthi drones - state media

DUBAI (Reuters) - The Saudi-led military coalition battling Yemen's Houthi movement intercepted and destroyed drones launched by the Iran-aligned group towards Khamis Mushait and Jazan in southern Saudi Arabia, state media said on Sunday.

The coalition said it would take "necessary operational measures" to protect civilians in line with international law.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said on Twitter that two drones were fired at military hangars in Jazan airport and a military air base in Khamis Mushait.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 against the Houthis after the movement ousted the internationally recognised government from the capital Sanaa.

The United Nations and the United States have stepped up diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire deal, which Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Saudi-backed government have welcomed. The Houthis are pushing for the full lifting of the coalition's sea and air blockade on areas the group controls.

Houthi forces have also launched a ground offensive in Yemen's gas-rich Marib region, the government's last stronghold in the north.

(Reporting by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by William Mallard and Gareth Jones)