Yemen army says rebel drone intercepted in Taiz

SANAA (AA) – Government forces said Sunday that a Houthi drone was intercepted by the Saudi-led coalition in Taiz province in south-western Yemen, according to the Yemeni army.

A military statement said the rebel drone was shot down while flying in the sky of Mocha city on Yemen’s western coast.

There was no comment from Houthi rebels or the Saudi-led coalition on the report.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa. The crisis escalated in 2015 when the Saudi-led coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the conflict in Yemen has so far claimed the lives of 233,000 people.

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara