Yemeni government forces shoot down Houthi drone over Marib

Yemen’s internationally recognized government forces shot down a drone belonging to the Houthi group over the city of Marib on Thursday morning, the country’s state news agency reported.

The Houthis’ targeting of Marib “embodies their escalatory approach and their insistence on continuing their terrorist acts,” the official SABA news agency quoted a military source as saying.

“The air defenses engaged the drone as soon as it entered the city’s airspace and successfully shot it down,” the source added.

The Houthis did not immediately comment on the report.

The incident came amid intermittent fighting on several front lines across Yemen since early July, resulting in dozens of casualties on both sides.

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.