Saudi-led coalition downs Houthi drone in Yemen's Aden

By Shoukry Hussein

ADEN, Yemen (AA) - A Saudi-led military coalition downed a drone suspected of belonging to the Houthi rebel group over Yemen’s coastal Aden province, Saudi television channel Al-Arabiya reported on Thursday.

No casualties were reported.

While the coalition has yet to release an official statement, Aden residents told Anadolu Agency that they had heard a loud explosion near the site of the alleged incident.

Earlier Thursday, Houthi spokesmen announced that the group’s fighters had targeted a coalition position in Aden’s Al-Buraiqeh directorate.

For the last three years, Aden has served as the headquarters of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

Impoverished Yemen has been wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies -- who accuse the Houthis of serving as proxies for Shia Iran -- launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.

The following year, UN-sponsored peace talks held in Kuwait failed to end the destructive conflict.