rki.news | Sources Xinhua
SANAA/ADEN, July 26: Yemen’s Houthi group on Sunday claimed it had shot down a Saudi-operated reconnaissance drone over Al-Jawf province, while a separate security incident involving a tanker was reported in the southern Red Sea.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the group’s forces downed the drone using “appropriate weaponry” during what he described as hostile operations in Al-Jawf airspace. He did not provide further details.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that a tanker observed a splash from an unknown projectile near the vessel in the southern Red Sea, close to the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The vessel and its crew were reported safe.
The incidents followed the Houthis’ announcement of a maritime ban on Saudi-linked shipping and claims of attacks on commercial vessels, prompting Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.
Yemen has remained in conflict since 2014, when the Houthis seized large parts of the country, prompting a Saudi-led coalition intervention in 2015. Although a UN-backed truce expired in 2022, a fragile ceasefire has largely held.
The latest developments have raised concerns over regional stability and the security of vital Red Sea shipping routes.