Yemeni Armed Forces have detected and shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle belonging to the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) as it was hovering over an area in the country’s southwestern province of Ta’izz.

Spokesman for the Yemeni military, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announced in a brief statement on Monday that Yemeni air defense units struck the armed Wing Loong II reconnaissance drone with a surface-to-air missile while it was carrying out hostile operations.

The development came on the same day that Saudi fighter jets carried out a string of airstrikes against multiple locations across Yemen.

Al-Masirah television channel, citing local sources, reported that Saudi warplanes launched an airstrike on the Yemeni capital Sana’a.

Residents said they heard loud explosions across the city, according to the report. Details about the locations hit, casualties, and damage were not immediately available.

Separately, Saudi fighter jets carried out airstrikes against locations in Yemen’s northwestern province of Sa’ada. Areas in Ta’izz province were also hit. There were no quick reports about possible casualties and the extent of damage caused.

A woman also succumbed to injuries sustained in a Saudi strike on a family home in the Sahar district of Sa’ada province.

Moreover, a schoolgirl and a little child sustained injuries when a Saudi airstrike hit near a school in the Nashour area of the al-Safra district.

Later in the day, seven Saudi aerial raids targeted locations in the al-Maton and al-Matammah districts of Yemen’s northern al-Jawf province, with no immediate reports about casualties and damage.

A girl was injured after Saudi warplanes hit a mosque and school in al-Mashawil of the Maqbanah district in Ta’izz province.

Yemen vows ‘never to retreat,’ warns of ‘unexpected options’ to reclaim national rights

The chairman of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council condemned Saudi Arabia for reneging on its commitments and intensifying its blockade against Yemen, stressing that Riyadh’s relentless aggression has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

Meanwhile, Saree said in two statements posted on the social media platform X early Monday that the country’s Armed Forces had launched a ballistic missile at King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

The missile “precisely” struck the airport, Saree said, noting that the Yemeni military also launched several drones targeting crude oil pumping stations along Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, and achieved “accurate hits.”

The Sana’a administration announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia on July 20, in retaliation for “an unjust and oppressive siege” on Yemen that has continued for almost 12 years.

The Yemeni military has also reported multiple successful operations targeting ships associated with Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.

In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its allies enacted a blockade on Yemen and initiated a large-scale war, with support from the United States and various Western nations in terms of military, political, and logistical resources.

The war has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Yemenis. Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia has not succeeded in achieving its goal of restoring a puppet government that aligns with its interests.