Saudi coalition targets 'drone control' system in Yemen
February 14, 2022
The Saudi-led coalition targeted the Yemen capital, Sanaa, on Monday in retaliation to a drone attack last week on a Saudi airport.
"We have destroyed a communication system used to operate drone control stations," the coalition said, as quoted by Saudi news agency SPA.
"The Houthis are using the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology in Sanaa for hostile operations," it added.
Houthi-run TV Al-Masirah confirmed the coalition attack later on Monday, saying the TeleYemen telecoms company building was destroyed and a neighboring building was damaged.
Residents said the raids targeted ground stations for satellites in Sanaa.
The number of casualties was not immediately known.
The coalition had issued a warning ahead of the strike and called on people to leave civilian areas the rebels are using for military purposes.
Saudi airports targeted by drone attacks
Yemen has been drawn into a civil war since 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthis ousted the government.
The rebels took control of the country's northern parts, including the capital, Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized government to flee to the south.
Saudi Arabia then launched a military intervention in 2015, leading a coalition against the Houthis.
Monday's bombing was the first time the coalition had attacked a civilian ministry, having only targeted the Defense Ministry to date.
The Houthis have frequently sent drones and fired missiles into Saudi Arabia, targeting its airports and oil installations.
Rebels open new front
On Thursday, 12 people were injured in a drone attack on Saudi Arabia's Abha international airport despite the Saudi military blowing up the "bomb-laden" projectile.
The coalition has retaliated with airstrikes in Yemen, and in recent months, ramped up its offensive against the Iran-backed militants.
The rebels have also opened a new front in the seven-year war, attacking the United Arab Emirates, a key coalition member.
The war has left thousands of people dead, displaced millions of others and led to severe shortages of food and other essential goods in Yemen.
adi/dj (AFP, Reuters)