Sanaa, July 26 — Yemen’s Houthi group said on Sunday it shot down a Saudi-operated reconnaissance drone over the northern province of Al-Jawf, while a separate security incident was reported by maritime authorities in the southern Red Sea near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea wrote on X that the group’s forces downed the drone with “appropriate weaponry” after it was conducting what he described as “hostile operations” in Al-Jawf’s airspace. He did not provide further details, Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier on Sunday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had received a report that a tanker observed “a splash from an unknown projectile in close proximity to the vessel” in the southern Red Sea. The UKMTO reported that the vessel and its crew were safe.
The incidents follow a Houthi-declared maritime ban on Saudi-linked shipping last week and Houthi claims of attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Those actions prompted a Saudi-led coalition to carry out airstrikes on Houthi-held areas in Yemen, according to official and local media accounts.
State-run Yemen TV reported on Saturday that airstrikes struck Houthi military sites in northern Yemen. The Houthi group said it responded with coordinated missile and drone strikes on Saudi energy facilities in the Jizan and Yanbu regions.
Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led intervention in 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government. A UN-mediated truce expired in 2022, though a fragile de-facto ceasefire has largely held until recent weeks.
The renewed exchanges of strikes and maritime incidents have raised fresh concerns about regional security and the safety of shipping through the strategically important Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb transit corridor.
Original Source: https://tripurachronicle.in/world-news/yemens-houthis-claim-downing-saudi-drone-red-sea-tanker-reports-close-splash/
Category: World News
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Publish Date: 2026-07-26 18:10:00
