Yemeni armed forces target Saudi-backed mercenaries with new FEV drone

As part of their retaliatory operations in defense of their homeland amid ongoing Saudi aggression and an inhumane siege, Yemeni armed forces have struck and destroyed the positions of Saudi-sponsored mercenary forces in southwestern Yemen.

The media bureau of Yemen's Operations Command Center broadcast on Saturday high-quality footage of operations, targeting reinforcements and vehicles of the Saudi-backed forces in the Kahboub Mountains as well as the al-Wazi’iyah district in Ta’izz province.

The footage showed newly developed Yemeni Shawaz unmanned aerial vehicles being used in the strikes.

The First-Person View (FPV) drones monitored their targets before striking Saudi mercenary concentrations and military vehicles, causing significant losses. 

The new Yemeni Shawaz drone is reportedly a small, low-cost, explosive-laden “kamikaze” aircraft controlled by an operator wearing goggles. Its most critical feature is a physical fiber-optic cable that connects the drone to the controller.

Because this cable transmits video and commands without any wireless signal, the unmanned aircraft is effectively resistant to jamming by electronic warfare systems.

The First-Person View (FPV) drone can cause significant casualties among Saudi soldiers and their mercenaries by accurately targeting troop gatherings, personnel carriers, and other military assets while evading radar and heat detection. 

Kahboub, a mountainous terrain spanning portions of both Lahij and Ta’izz provinces in southern Yemen, derives much of its strategic significance from its advantageous location near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Several of its peaks are situated roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) away from the waterway, offering expansive perspectives across a stretch of the Red Sea, through which considerable volumes of international maritime trade and millions of barrels of crude oil traverse on a daily basis.

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.

The Yemeni military has announced a number of successful operations aimed at ships linked to Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.

In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed a blockade on Yemen and launched a sweeping military aggression against the country, backed by military, political, and logistical support from the United States and several Western countries.

The war has killed tens of thousands of Yemenis. However, Saudi Arabia has failed to achieve its stated objective of reinstating a puppet regime that serves its interests.