Houthis say they downed Saudi-operated drone in central Yemen

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis said they shot down a Saudi-operated reconnaissance drone on Tuesday, a day after the first exchange of hostilities between the two sides in years.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the fighters downed what he called an enemy Saudi Wing Loong II reconnaissance aircraft at dawn over Al-Bayda Governorate in central Yemen. He said the aircraft had been carrying out hostile missions.

The claim followed a sharp escalation on Monday. The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of attacking rebel-held Sanaa airport and said they retaliated with strikes on an airport in the kingdom. The source described that as the biggest exchange of fire since a 2022 truce.

The Saudi-backed Yemeni government claimed responsibility for the attack on Sanaa airport. It said the aim was to stop an Iranian plane from landing.

For more than a decade, aircraft entering Yemeni airspace have needed advance clearance from the Saudi-led coalition, which backs the Yemeni government and says it enforces the restriction at the government's request. The source said the Houthis and their Iranian backers appear to have challenged the arrangement by organizing direct flights from Iran, angering the government and Saudi Arabia.

Saree said the Houthis would confront violations of Yemen's airspace and sovereignty and would not stand idle in the face of aggression.