The Saudi-led coalition announced on December 1 that its warplanes had destroyed a rocket launcher of the Houthis in the northern Yemeni province of Saada. This was the second rocket launcher to be destroyed by the coalition during this week.
“The joint forces command of the coalition .. track[ed] the militias’ [Houthis] attempt to prepare the camouflaged pad launcher with ballistic missiles in Saada province … the coalition forces immediately targeted and destroyed the pad launcher in full compliance with international humanitarian law and the rules of engagement of coalition forces,” said a spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition, Colonel Turki al-Malki, according to the UAE-based al-Arabiya TV.
Experts believe that Saudi-led coalition warplanes destroyed a launcher of the Badir-1 artillery rocket. The rocket, which was revealed on March 22, is in fact a locally-made copy of the Iranian-made Fajir-3.
In a related development, the Saudi-backed wing of the Yemeni military said that its units had shot down an armed unnamed aerial vehicle (UAV) of the Houthis over the central Yemeni province of Ma’rib.
“The Houthis’ drone was loaded with explosives, the militias attempted to use it to target positions of the national army in Ma’rib,” a source in the Yemeni military said, according to the Yemeni news outlet al-Sahwah.
Photos of the UAV’s remains confirm that it is of the Qasef-1 type, which is operated by the Houthis. Qasef-1 is a copy of the Iranian Ababil-2 UAV.
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The Saudi-led coalition foiled several attacks by the Houthis recently. This will likely encourage Iran to supply more modern weapons to the Yemeni group in order to maintain the current deterrence.
