Saudi Spy Drone Shot Down by Yemeni Forces in Saada (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Yemeni military media released a footage showing the moment when a Saudi-led reconnaissance drone is hit by a missile launched by Yemeni army and Popular Committees in Saada province.
Dozens of citizens are seen in the footage gathering around the grounded spy drone to express their joy in the army and the Popular Committees' achievement.
The media belonging to Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement said in a statement that Yemeni air defense forces shot down the Chinese-built medium-altitude and long-endurance Wing Loong drone with a surface-to-air missile on Friday afternoon.
According to the statement, the drone was struck as it was on a surveillance mission over Bani Muadh area in the Sahar district of the province. It was armed with air-to-surface weapons.
It came after Yemeni Ansarullah Forces unveiled a new version of ‘domestically designed and manufactured’ Badr ballistic missile dubbed Badr-F on April 16.
According to a spokesman for Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the new missile has a range of 160km. He said that the missile would explode 20 meters above the center of the designated target and would scatter some 14,000 pieces of shrapnel in a circular area with a radius of 350 meters.
The range of 160km is a 30km increase in comparison with the Badr-1P, which Yemenis actively employ against Saudi targets currently.
Yemenis introduced the missile for the first time last week in the following video:
Since 2015, the US has provided the aerial refueling of jets, reconnaissance, targeting and intelligence information to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in their campaign against Yemen.
Saudi Arabia and a coalition of Arab governments have launched more than 19,000 air raids across Yemen.
The aggression on the Arab world's poorest country also has left millions suffering from food and medical care shortages and has pushed the country to the brink of famine.
Air raids by the Saudi-UAE coalition have hit civilians, hospitals and water treatment facilities. Aid groups estimate as many as 60,000 civilians have been killed in the war and as many as 85,000 children starved to death, with millions more "one step away from famine".
