Yemeni government forces engage ‘hostile’ drone west of Aden

Yemeni government forces said Saturday that they were engaging a “hostile” drone in the airspace west of the interim capital Aden, without providing further details.

The Southern Armed Forces, led by Presidential Leadership Council member Abdulrahman al-Muharrami, said on US social media platform X that they were “dealing with hostile drone activity west of the capital, Aden.”

Activists on X circulated claims that air defenses had intercepted a drone belonging to the Houthi group over the city.

The Houthis issued no immediate response to the government forces’ announcement.

Earlier, Yemen's army announced that it launched a military operation against Houthi targets and military equipment.

Yemen has seen a relative lull in fighting since April 2022. The war began more than 11 years ago between government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-backed Houthi group, which has controlled the capital, Sanaa, and other parts of the country since Sept. 21, 2014.