UAE jet destroys Iranian drone

Military aircraft hit in attack near Mokha in Yemen

ABU DHABI // A UAE fighter jet destroyed an Iranian- made military drone in Yemen, which was intended to target troops battling Houthi rebels near the Red Sea.

The incident occurred near the port of Mokha, the scene of recent heavy fighting between Yemeni forces and the Iran-backed rebels. “Yemeni forces spotted preparation to launch the plane from a light vehicle and coordinated with the UAE Air Force operating in Yemen, which did its part in dealing with the plane, destroying it with an air-to-land missile,” said Maj Gen Ahmed Al Yafei, deputy chief of staff of the Yemeni military.

He said the drone was smuggled in from Iran by the rebels after government troops trapped them on the coast. Supply of weapons and equipment to rebel militias by Iran was “a desperate attempt to undermine the successive victories of forces that support the legitimate government of Yemen”, Gen Al Yafei said.

Fighting in Mokha continued yesterday as forces loyal to Abdrabu Mansur Hadi, backed by the Arab coalition, advanced farther into the town and captured the police headquarters.

Mr Hadi’s troops launched an offensive nearly three weeks ago to oust the rebels from the southern part of the Red Sea coastline.

Since Friday, at least 19 rebels have been killed and 23 wounded, while eight government troops were killed and 13 were wounded.

Loyalist forces’ control of areas to the east and south of Mokha mean the rebels’ only escape route is to the north.