Houthi drone shot down in Yemen’s Lahij province: Army

By Shukri Hussein

ADEN, Yemen (AA) - The Yemeni army on Wednesday downed a reconnaissance drone belonging to the Houthi militia group in Yemen’s southern Lahij province, according to a local military source.

“The drone was smuggled into Yemen from Iran as part of Tehran's ongoing attempts to destabilize the region and threaten the peace in Yemen,” Mohamed al-Naqib, a spokesman for the Yemeni army’s fourth military region, told Anadolu Agency.

Al-Naqib added that “spy devices, cameras and mobile sim cards” had been found on the aircraft, which was reportedly shot down in Lahij’s Karash region.

The Houthis and allied forces of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, for their part, have yet to comment on the army’s assertions.

Located between Yemen’s Lahij and Taiz provinces, the Karash region remains the scene of frequent clashes between the Yemeni army and Houthi militants.

Impoverished Yemen has remained in a state of war since 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa, forcing Yemen’s pro-Saudi government to set up an interim capital in the southern city of Aden.