Published: 20:01, February 25, 2022 | Updated: 20:03, February 25, 2022
Houthis shoot down 2 spy drones of Saudi-led coalition
By Xinhua

In this Sept 14, 2020 photo, a fighter loyal to Yemen's Houthi rebels stands guard during a rally commemorating the death of Shiite Imam Zaid bin Ali in the capital Sanaa. (MOHAMMED HUWAIS / AFP)

SANAA - Yemen's Houthi militia announced on Friday they had shot down two spy drones believed to be made by the United States and belonging to the Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen.

The first drone was shot down in the northern province of Al-Jawf while the second one was downed in Al-Jubah district in the central province of Marib, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV quoted a statement by Houthi military spokesman as saying.

The first drone was shot down in the northern province of Al-Jawf while the second one was downed in Al-Jubah district in the central province of Marib, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV quoted a statement by Houthi military spokesman as saying

The coalition has made no comment yet.

The coalition-backed Yemeni government forces have been fighting the Houthi militia for nearly seven years, and Al-Jawf and Marib are critical frontlines.

Large areas of Al-Jawf are under Houthis' control, while the oil-rich province of Marib is mainly under the government's control.

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In January, government troops recaptured several districts from the Houthis in Marib and the neighboring province of Shabwa.

The Houthis have since intensified cross-border missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Most of such attacks were reportedly intercepted.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control over several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in 2015 to support Hadi's government.

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