Yemen shoots down Saudi UAV over Mokha after deadly airstrikes by Riyadh

The armed forces spokesperson, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announced early Wednesday that the UAV, belonging to the Saudi enemy, was brought down using appropriate weapons.

Arab media outlets also reported heavy explosions in Riyadh early Wednesday, attributing them to Yemeni missile and drone attacks. They said activity at Riyadh International Airport had been halted as well.

The latest developments come after Saudi Arabia sharply escalated its military aggression against Yemen in an effort to reestablish a puppet regime in Sana’a.

Saudi warplanes have carried out hundreds of raids across Yemen, according to Saree, who reported 760 Saudi airstrikes by September 20.

The Yemeni armed forces have responded with a counteroffensive along the Red Sea coast, driving Saudi-supported militants from a series of strategic positions.

On September 10, Yemeni armed forces captured the strategic port city of Mokha, forcing Saudi-allied forces to retreat south toward Dhubab and opening the way for a further advance toward Bab el-Mandeb.

The following day, Yemeni armed forces expelled the militants from six districts in Ta'iz and Hudaydah and took control of about 5,400 square kilometers of territory.

Yemeni armed forces subsequently moved into the Bab el-Mandeb area and took control of strategic islands, including Mayyun, also known as Perim, which sits at the center of the narrow maritime passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

The advances have significantly strengthened Yemen’s position around Bab el-Mandeb, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.

The latest confrontation follows more than a decade of Saudi-led war and blockade against Yemen, which began in 2015 after Riyadh intervened militarily to restore the former regime, while the US and other Western countries provided varying forms of political, military and logistical support.

Yemen has described its latest military campaign as a response to the continuing Saudi aggression and blockade, while presenting the advance along the Red Sea coast and the resulting pressure on Saudi shipping as part of a broader “siege for siege” equation.