Houthi drone shot down in northern Yemen: Army

YEMEN

A Houthi rebel drone was shot down in northern Yemen, the country’s army said on Thursday.

The Yemeni army destroyed a reconnaissance drone flying over the al-Ajasher military base, north of al-Jawf province, spokesperson Rabea al-Qurashi said on Twitter.

He said the drone was heading towards the al-Buqa border crossing with Saudi Arabia.

In a separate statement, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led Arab Coalition in Yemen said it carried out airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels in the Alyutamah area of al-Jawf.

The Houthi group has yet to comment on the statements.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when the Saudi-led coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the conflict in Yemen has so far claimed over 233,000 lives.

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara