UAE-Backed Force Shot Down Houthi Drone After Attack In Yemen Yemen’s Shabwah (Photos)

On July 3, the Giants Brigades announced that its air defense had shot a drone of the Houthis (Ansar Allah) over the southern Yemen of Shabwah.

The faction, that fights on the side of the Saudi-led coalition, said in a statement that the drone was shot down on Bayhan front following a strike that wounded two of its fighters. The strike was supposedly carried out by anther drone of the Houthis.

The Giant Brigade, which has 20,000-30,000 fighters, is considered to be the main proxy of the United Arab Emirates in Yemen.

The drone downed by the faction was identified as a Rasid, an unarmed type the Houthis usually use to conduct reconnaissance and correct artillery fire. The drone has an operational range of up to 35 kilometers and can stay in the air for at least two hours.

The Giant Brigades’ announcement came amid a ceasefire between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition. The ceasefire agreement, which was brokered by the United Nations, entered into effect on April 2 and was set to end on June 2. However, it was extended at the very last day for two more months.

The Houthis were blamed for several recent ceasefire violations. On July 4, a drone strike that was attributed to the group damaged an ambulance wounded four doctors in the southwestern Yemeni province of Dhale.

Despite the recent violations, the ceasefire in Yemen will not likely collapse. The Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition don’t appear to be interested in a new military escalation.

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