Saudi Arabia air defenses have shot down five Yemeni UAVs
RIYADH, ($1=3.75 Saudi Arabian Riyal) – Saudi Arabia’s air defense system has intercepted and destroyed five unmanned aerial vehicles [UAVs] launched towards the kingdom, the Arab anti-Houthi coalition said in a statement Tuesday, learned BulgarianMilitary.com, citing Interfax.
The Houthi attack, the report said, was launched from the Yemeni capital, Sana’a. On Monday, the coalition released videos of the destruction of three UAVs in southern Saudi Arabia.
The coalition has confirmed that it is taking all the operational steps necessary to eliminate and respond immediately to sources of threats.
Fighting between the coalition and rebel forces has intensified in recent months. So, on the eve of the coalition aviation struck on four targets in the Yemeni capital Sana’a – on warehouses with drones and missile launch sites, according to the coalition. In turn, the rebels have begun to strike more frequently with drones and missiles in Saudi Arabia and continue to develop an offensive against the strategically important city of Marib.
The Saudi–Houthis conflict
In 2014, the Houthis, Shiite-born northern Yemen, carried out a coup and seized power in the provinces of the north of the country, including the capital, the city of Sana’a. In turn, the internationally recognized government and President Mansour Hadi moved their residences to Aden, located on the southern coast of Yemen.
In connection with the Houthis’ further military successes and their active promotion to the south of the country, in 2015, Saudi Arabia led the coalition of Arab countries and launched the ground-based military operation “Tempest of Determination” support of the official government.
The reason for such great concern for Saudi Arabia was the threat that the Houthis would reach the coast of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the most crucial sea transport corridor through which Saudi oil tankers pass. These Houthis are protecting by Iran – an enemy of the Islamic world’s Sunni countries and Saudi Arabia.
Also, it is worth noting that other forces are taking part in the Yemeni conflict. Among the most significant points is the UAE-supported Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is in an ambiguous relationship with official Yemen and is committed to southern Yemen’s independence.
Also, there is a significant terrorist organization in Yemen, al-Qaida, on the Arabian Peninsula, which controls large areas of central Yemen.
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