Saudi-led coalition downs drone in southern Yemen

By Mohamed al-Rayes

CAIRO

The Saudi-led international coalition on Friday said it had downed a drone in Yemen’s southern Aden province.

The drone had been flying towards a coalition military camp in Aden, Yemen’s temporary capital.

“Coalition forces managed to destroy the drone without casualties,” Saudi daily Okaz quoted a military source as saying.

“The drone was successfully downed by coalition air defenses,” the source said.

The coalition has yet to officially comment on the incident.

Yemen has been wracked by conflict since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country.

The conflict escalated one year later when Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a wide-ranging military campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen.

Riyadh accuses the rebel group of serving as a proxy force for Iran, Saudi Arabia’s arch-foe in the region.