Illustrative image, source: al-Masirah TV.
An armed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of the Yemeni Air Force [loyal to the Houthis] carried out a series of airstrikes on gatherings of Saudi-led coalition forces in the northern Yemeni province of al-Jawf at the late hours of December 25.
“The unmanned warplanes force targeted large gatherings of the aggressor’s mercenaries in the camp of al-Suayqa in district of Yatmah in al-Jawf, while they were preparing for new operations and new escalation in the district,” Brig. Gen. Yahya Sari, a spokesman of the Yemeni Armed Forces [an ally of the Houthis], revealed a day after the attack.
The Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman went on to claim that dozens of Saudi-backed Yemeni fighters were killed and injured in the UAV attack.
The attack was likely carried out with a Qasef-1 UAV, which is a copy of the Iranian-made “Ababil-2”, according to a report of the Conflict Armament Research (CAR) group. The Houthis used Qasef-1 as a suicide UAV when it was first introduced in 2017. However, the UAV was modified later to carry and drop small-diameter bombs.
The Houthis have been using armed UAVs to deter the Saudi-led coalition since 2017. This tactic has proven to be effective to a certain extent.
