<p>A downsizing of US military assets in Saudi Arabia will not affect its defence capabilities, the Riyadh-led coalition said Sunday, after it intercepted the largest number of Yemeni rebel drones in a single day.</p>.<p>Washington on Friday said it was cutting the number of troops and air defence units deployed to the Middle East, including Patriot batteries and an anti-missile system, called THAAD, from Saudi Arabia.</p>.<p>"This will not affect the Saudi air defences," coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki told reporters.</p>.<p>"We have a strong understanding with... our allies about the threat in the region. We do have the capability to defend our country."</p>.<p>The US drawdown comes as President Joe Biden's administration seeks to ease tensions with Iran, Saudi Arabia's arch-foe, after they heated up in 2019 under his predecessor Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign on Tehran.</p>.<p>Maliki did not disclose how many Patriots the kingdom currently has.</p>.<p>In April, Greece said it will lend a Patriot battery to Saudi Arabia to protect its critical energy infrastructure.</p>.<p>Saudi Arabia, which has led a military coalition against Yemen's Huthis since 2015, relies heavily on US-made Patriots to intercept missiles and drones fired at the kingdom on a near daily basis by the Iran-aligned rebels.</p>.<p>Saudi air defences intercepted a total of 17 Huthi drones on Saturday, the highest in a single day since the conflict began, Maliki said.</p>.<p>Earlier this month, a bomb-laden drone launched by the Huthis crashed into a girls' school in southern Asir province, Saudi state media said.</p>.<p>No injuries were reported in the strike.</p>.<p>But during a media tour Sunday of the school, whose shrapnel-scarred roof was littered with glass, ball bearings and twisted metal, officials said some terrified parents were refusing to send their children to attend classes.</p>.<p>Saudi Arabia "can't cover the entire country with Patriots", a local official said.</p>.<p>"There is no military target here... it's clear the Huthis are deliberately hitting civilians."</p>.<p>The escalation comes as a diplomatic push by the United Nations, the United States and regional countries to secure a ceasefire in Yemen after more than six years of devastating conflict have failed.</p>.<p>The outgoing UN envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths on Tuesday told the Security Council his own efforts over the past three years to end the war had been "in vain".</p>.<p>Yemen has been devastated by a civil war between the Saudi-backed government and the Iran-backed Huthis since 2014, and millions of civilians are on the brink of famine, according to the UN.</p>
<p>A downsizing of US military assets in Saudi Arabia will not affect its defence capabilities, the Riyadh-led coalition said Sunday, after it intercepted the largest number of Yemeni rebel drones in a single day.</p>.<p>Washington on Friday said it was cutting the number of troops and air defence units deployed to the Middle East, including Patriot batteries and an anti-missile system, called THAAD, from Saudi Arabia.</p>.<p>"This will not affect the Saudi air defences," coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki told reporters.</p>.<p>"We have a strong understanding with... our allies about the threat in the region. We do have the capability to defend our country."</p>.<p>The US drawdown comes as President Joe Biden's administration seeks to ease tensions with Iran, Saudi Arabia's arch-foe, after they heated up in 2019 under his predecessor Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign on Tehran.</p>.<p>Maliki did not disclose how many Patriots the kingdom currently has.</p>.<p>In April, Greece said it will lend a Patriot battery to Saudi Arabia to protect its critical energy infrastructure.</p>.<p>Saudi Arabia, which has led a military coalition against Yemen's Huthis since 2015, relies heavily on US-made Patriots to intercept missiles and drones fired at the kingdom on a near daily basis by the Iran-aligned rebels.</p>.<p>Saudi air defences intercepted a total of 17 Huthi drones on Saturday, the highest in a single day since the conflict began, Maliki said.</p>.<p>Earlier this month, a bomb-laden drone launched by the Huthis crashed into a girls' school in southern Asir province, Saudi state media said.</p>.<p>No injuries were reported in the strike.</p>.<p>But during a media tour Sunday of the school, whose shrapnel-scarred roof was littered with glass, ball bearings and twisted metal, officials said some terrified parents were refusing to send their children to attend classes.</p>.<p>Saudi Arabia "can't cover the entire country with Patriots", a local official said.</p>.<p>"There is no military target here... it's clear the Huthis are deliberately hitting civilians."</p>.<p>The escalation comes as a diplomatic push by the United Nations, the United States and regional countries to secure a ceasefire in Yemen after more than six years of devastating conflict have failed.</p>.<p>The outgoing UN envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths on Tuesday told the Security Council his own efforts over the past three years to end the war had been "in vain".</p>.<p>Yemen has been devastated by a civil war between the Saudi-backed government and the Iran-backed Huthis since 2014, and millions of civilians are on the brink of famine, according to the UN.</p>