Sanaa, September 17 (Daily Kiran) : Houthi rebels have announced that they successfully shot down a Saudi armed reconnaissance drone in Yemen’s northeastern Marib province. The claim was made by Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sari during a statement broadcast on Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah TV on Wednesday evening.
Sari reported that the drone was targeted while it was flying over Marib, using “the appropriate weapon” for the interception. Earlier that day, the Houthis had also claimed to have downed a Saudi F-15 fighter jet. They alleged that Saudi forces had launched over 450 attacks on various districts in recent days.
According to Sari, the F-15 jet was brought down over Marib using a locally produced surface-to-air missile. However, it was later clarified that two fighter jets had been intercepted. Xinhua News Agency indicated that these jets had taken off from the Khamis Mushait airbase in southwestern Saudi Arabia and had entered Yemeni airspace over Mocha in western Taiz.
Sari noted that the jets were intercepted using domestically manufactured missiles, after which they retreated from the area. The Houthi rebels have gained control over large areas along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. They captured the strategic port city of Mocha on September 10 and subsequently took control of Mayyun Island, located in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, on September 11. This strait is a crucial maritime route connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
The conflict in Yemen began in late 2014 when Houthi rebels seized the capital, Sana’a, and much of northern Yemen. In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition intervened in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
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