Yemeni Armed Forces: Saudi ScanEagle Drone Shot Down Over Hajjah

The source identified the aircraft as a ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle and said it was brought down while conducting a surveillance mission over Hajjah, Yemen’s official SABA news agency reported Sunday.

No further information was provided about the weapon used to bring down the drone or the circumstances of the operation.

The incident came days after Yemen’s Armed Forces announced three new military measures in their confrontation with Saudi Arabia amid renewed tensions between Sana’a and Riyadh.

In a statement last Wednesday, the forces said the first measure would involve a “blockade for blockade” policy, while the second would target Saudi military buildups wherever they are located. The third was described as an effort to defend Yemen’s sovereignty and confront any incursions.

According to the forces, the latest escalation followed a Saudi attack on Sanaa International Airport last month. Following the strike, they said the 2022 truce with Riyadh had effectively collapsed and announced a naval blockade targeting Saudi Arabia in response to what they described as a prolonged Saudi siege of Yemen.

The forces later announced several operations targeting Saudi-linked vessels in the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia and its allies previously launched a military campaign against Yemen, receiving political, military and logistical backing from the United States and some Western countries.

The conflict resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Yemenis and caused widespread humanitarian suffering. Despite the prolonged military campaign, Saudi Arabia did not achieve its stated objective of restoring its preferred political leadership in Yemen.