Houthis Claim Downed Saudi-Operated Turkish UAV
The Houthi military spokesman announced the interception of a Bayraktar Akinci UAV over Al-Jawf province. The incident follows a phone call between the Saudi and Turkish defense ministers.
The military spokesman for the Houthis in Yemen (Ansarallah) announced today, Sunday, that the organization's forces successfully downed an armed Bayraktar Akinci UAV of Turkish manufacture, belonging to the Saudi Arabian army.
According to the Houthis, the UAV was conducting "hostile operations in the airspace of Al-Jawf province" in northern Yemen and was downed using "appropriate weapons." The group declared that they "will act against any attempt to violate the country's sovereignty" and possess the necessary capabilities to do so. Recently, there have been reports of multiple airstrikes in the province against Houthi sites by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.
On Saturday, Saudi Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman held a phone call with his Turkish counterpart, Yaşar Güler. The two discussed ways to strengthen military and security cooperation. According to an official Saudi statement, the ministers also reviewed joint efforts "to promote peace in the region in light of current developments" and discussed several regional and international issues.
Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis escalated following the group's announcement that they had attacked sensitive facilities belonging to the Saudi oil giant Aramco. The Houthi spokesman, Yahya Saree, declared that dozens of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and UAVs were launched toward two company sites in the Jizan and Yanbu provinces in southern and western Saudi Arabia.
