ISTANBUL

Houthi rebels in Yemen on Wednesday accused the Saudi-led coalition of seizing a fuel ship.

Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV said the Saudi-led coalition seized the Splendour Sapphire fuel ship despite having a UN license.

The broadcaster said the vessel was carrying over 24,000 tons of mazut, a heavy, low-quality fuel oil, and was taken by the coalition to a Saudi port in the southwestern Jazan province.

There was no comment from Saudi authorities or the coalition on the rebels’ accusation.

Earlier on Wednesday, rebel spokesman Yahya Saree said his group shot down an Emirati spy drone in the Shabwah province in southeastern Yemen.

Saudi Al-Arabiya TV confirmed that coalition warplanes had carried out airstrikes on Houthi positions in the provinces of Marib and Al-Bayda.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises, with nearly 80% or about 30 million people needing humanitarian assistance and protection and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar