DUBAI: Coalition forces supporting the Yemeni government shot down an Ansar Allah drone on Thursday over their military base in the southern city of Aden, a source in the Saudi-led alliance said.
The Ansar Allah fighters claimed via their Al Masirah TV to have “successfully” targeted the Brega military base in Aden with a drone.
They said it was the first time they had targeted the coalition in the port city, where President Abedrabbo Mansour
Hadi’s government has its headquarters.
A source with the alliance said by telephone that its forces had “shot down an unmanned drone over a coalition base” in Aden.
It follows the launch last month of a major offensive by pro-government forces to retake the port city of Hodeida, a key aid gateway on Yemen’s west coast held by the Ansar Allah fighters since 2014.
The United Arab Emirates is playing a key role in the anti-Ansar Allah operations with troops on the ground fighting alongside the army, backed by coalition air strikes.
Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in the Yemen war in 2015 to try to roll back Ansar Allah gains and restore Hadi’s internationally recognised government to power.
UN envoy Martin Griffiths was due to brief the Security Council on Thursday on his latest efforts to avert an all-out war for Hodeida.
Nearly 10,000 people including 2,200 children have been killed in the Yemen conflict since 2015.
— AFP
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