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On July 8, the Yemeni Air Force (YAF) [loyal to the Houthis] announced that it had targeted the main communication network of the Saudi-led coalition in the western coast of Yemen with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). According to the YAF, the attack was conducted after a “careful observation mission.”
Recently, the YAF began conducting airstrikes using what appears to be a modified verison of “Qasef-1” UAV, which is a copy of the Iranian-made “Ababil-2” UAV. While “Qasef-1” is usually used for suicide attacks, the modified version is armed with several small projectiles.
The suicide version of “Qasef-1” was likely used on July 5 to target the main headquarters of the Saudi-led coalition in the southern Yemeni city of Aden.
The YAF attack is a clear response to the Saudi-led coalition attack on the Houthis’ military communication network in the northern province of Saada. According to the UAE-based al-Arabiya TV, the entire communication network of the Houthis was destroyed by coalition warplanes on July 7.
