Yemeni forces down $11.25mn Saudi drone as Riyadh begs West, UAE for urgent help

A senior member of the Ansarullah resistance movement says the Yemeni Armed Forces have shot down a Saudi reconnaissance drone over the northern province of Sa’ada, as forces aligned with Saudi Arabia intensify aggression against the Arab country.

Hazam al-Asad, a member of Ansarullah’s political bureau, said on Wednesday that the drone was a ScanEagle reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft operated by the Saudi military and manufactured by Boeing. The drone is valued at $11.25 million.

Asad said that repeated downing of Saudi warplanes and drones by Yemen’s air defenses has prompted Riyadh to rely increasingly on missiles and rockets in at least some of its attacks on northern Yemen.

The latest development comes amid renewed military activity in northern Yemen. The Arabic-language al-Masirah television network reported that Saudi forces carried out seven missile strikes against the Sahar district of Sa’ada within an hour.

In southern Yemen, meanwhile, the Yemeni Armed Forces launched a ballistic missile at a military base belonging to Saudi-aligned forces in Lahj province on Tuesday, according to Arab News.

Yemen Army confirms downing of Saudi F-15 warplane over Ma’rib

Yemen confirms the downing of a Saudi F-15 warplane with an indigenous surface-to-air missile.

According to reports, five Saudi mercenaries were killed and three wounded in the strike. Fighting has intensified around mountainous areas in Lahj, with Saudi mercenaries clinging to their last position in the face of an offensive by the Yemeni Armed Forces.

In August, Yemen confirmed to have shot down a Saudi ScanEagle reconnaissance drone over the country’s northwestern Hajjah province.

Separately, the Intelligence Online revealed that Riyadh is considering renewed use of foreign mercenaries, including Colombians previously associated with the criminal operations of the notorious American company Blackwater in Yemen.

Saudi authorities, it said, have contacted advisers previously involved in recruiting foreign mercenaries to help deter the lightning advances of the Yemeni forces.

According to the report, Saudi Arabia has dramatically expanded its frantic efforts, contacting Western allies including the United States, Britain and France for urgent assistance to counter Yemeni advances.

The kingdom has also launched a new charm offensive, trying to mend fences with the UAE after clashing over Sudan, Yemen, and Somaliland.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hosted the UAE’s Vice President Mansour Bin Zayed in Riyadh on Tuesday, marking the kingdom's most prominent effort yet to reconcile with the UAE. 

The two neighbours have been discussing how to collaborate on Yemen for months, but the talks have been moving slowly, reports said. 

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had previously relied on Colombian and other foreign mercenaries in their war on Yemen which ended in a humiliating defeat, forcing them to reach a ceasefire with Sana'a.

The war erupted anew after Saudi warplanes bombed Sana’a airport in a bid to block the return of a Yemeni delegation from Tehran that was traveling home to attend the funeral of martyred Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

The Sana’a administration declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia on July 20, in response to “an unfair and tyrannical siege” on Yemen lasting nearly 12 years. 

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk