JEDDAH: The Arab Coalition in Yemen said it had struck Houthi targets in the capital Sanaa, Saudi TV reported early Wednesday.
A Houthi workshop manufacturing unmanned drones and a launchpad were hit in the attack, said the coalition, which is tasked with supporting the internationally recognized government of Yemen against the Iranian-backed Houthi militia that control the capital.
Coalition spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki said that at 4:17 a.m. the Joint Forces Command carried out an operation in Sanaa to destroy two legitimate military targets, including a workshop used by the Houthi militia for installing and booby-trapping UAVs and a store for platforms for launching and preparing UAVs to carry out terrorist operations.
He said that the targeting operation was an extension of previous military operations (on Jan. 19, 31 and Feb. 9 and March 23), which were conducted by the Joint Forces Command to destroy an Iran-backed terrorist Houthi militia’s integrated network for UAV capabilities and its logistical facilities, in addition to the locations of foreign experts.
Al-Maliki affirmed the commitment of the coalition to preventing access by the Houthi militia and other terrorist organizations to such capabilities, and taking all measures to protect civilians and vital areas from the threat of UAV terrorist attacks in accordance with customary international humanitarian law.
He reaffirmed that the targeting operation was in accordance with customary international humanitarian law, and that the Joint Forces Command had taken all precautionary measures to protect civilians and avoid collateral damage, while the Iran-backed terrorist Houthi militia used residential neighborhoods and civilian facilities as military zones for manufacturing workshops, including ballistic missiles preparation and installation workshops, UAV workshops, mines and improvised explosive device workshops, and weapons storage.
Child protection
The coalition, also represented by the Child Protection Unit of the Joint Forces Command, handed over seven children to the representative of the Yemeni legitimate government.
These children had been deluded and were arrested during military clashes with Iran-backed Houthi terrorist militias in a number of fighting fronts on the Kingdom’s borders.
The handing-over ceremony was held at Sharurah Force Command in the presence of a representative of the Yemeni government. The seven children represent the eighth batch where 120 children have been handed over to their families.
Each child received an amount of money as a gift from the Joint Forces Command of the Operation Renewal of Hope in addition to gifts from Sharurah Force Command. Memorial photos were taken. The children were moved by bus to Marib.
Recently, the Houthis sent an unmanned drone toward the southern Saudi city of Khamis Mushayt. The drone was shot down by Saudi forces without causing any casualties. The coalition said that the Houthis were using residential neighborhoods for the manufacturing of ballistic missiles, land mines and advanced bombs.
Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies entered the war in Yemen in 2015 against the Houthis, who drove the internationally recognized government into exile in 2014. The Houthis have fired dozens of missiles into Saudi Arabia in the four-year conflict. Most of the missiles have been intercepted by the Saudi military.
