Illustrative image, source: the Houthis media wing
The Houthis (Ansar Allah) have shot down two more combat drones of the Saudi-led coalition in response to alleged violations of the UN-sponsored ceasefire in Yemen.
On May 23, a Chinese-made CH-4 combat drone of the coalition was shot down by the Houthis over the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. Brig. Gen. Yahya Sari, a spokesman for the group, said in a statement that the drone was shot down with a “locally-made” ground-to-air missile.
The drone crashed in a crowded part of Sanaa, killing three civilians and wounding at least three others. The Houthis released footage from the crash site.
The CH-4 was developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation to carry out reconnaissance and combat missions. The Saudi military purchased an unknown number of the drone a few years ago.
Click to see full-size image.
On May 24, the second coalition combat drone, a Chinese-made Wing Loong II, was shot down by the Houthis along the Yemeni border with the Saudi province of Najran. Brig. Gen. Sari also claimed that the drone was shot down with a “locally-made” ground-to-air missile.
The Houthis didn’t release footage of the drone’s wreckage, likely because it fell inside Saudi Arabia or in a Yemeni area held by the coalition’s proxies.
The Wing Loong II, which was developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, has an endurance of 32 hours and an operational range of up to 4,000 kilometers. This type of combat drones is known to be in active service with the militaries of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
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These were the third and fourth combat drones of the Saudi-led coalition to be shot down by the Houthis since the UN-sponsored ceasefire went into effect on April 2.
On May 4, the Houthis shot down a CH-4 combat drone of the Saudi-led coalition over the district of Harad in the northwestern province of Hajjah. Later on May 22, the group shot down a Turkish-made Karayel combat drone of the coalition over the district of Hayran, also in Hajjah.
The Houthis view the Saudi-led coalition’s drone operations over Yemen as a violation of the UN-sponsored agreement. The group itself suspended its drone attacks over Saudi Arabia and Yemeni areas held by the coalition’s proxies in Yemen under the agreement.
The ceasefire is set to end in less than a week, specifically on June 2. The UN hopes that a permanent ceasefire will be reached before the end date. This remains possible despite all recent ceasefire violations by the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition.
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This is pretty impressive