On August 26, the Yemeni Air Force (YAF) [loyal to the Houthis] announced that its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) bombed a headquarters in the central province of al-Bayda, which was hosting a meeting between commanders of the Saudi-led coalition and its Yemeni allies.
According to the YAF’s statement, the attack was conducted after a “careful observation mission” and the meeting was hit “accurately.”
A locally-made suicide UAVs named “Qasef-1” was likely used in the attack on the headquarters. The Qasef-1 is a copy of the Iranian-made “Ababil-2” UAV armed with 30kg warhead, according to a report of the Conflict Armament Research (CAR) group.
Minutes after the YAF announcement, the al-Arabiya TV reported that Saudi-backed Yemeni fighters shot down a UAV of the Houthis in the eastern part of al-Bayda with a heavy machinegun. The UAE-based TV channel said that a similar UAV was shot down in the same area last month.
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The YAF boosted the development and manufacturing of UAVs during the last two months, in what appears to be an attempt to deter the Saudi-led coalition and its Yemeni proxies by asymmetrical means.
