Escalation of fighting in Yemen over Bab al-Mandab; Egypt and the UAE support Saudi Arabia

🔸Fighting between Yemen’s Houthis and Saudi Arabia has intensified amid ongoing missile and drone attacks, as well as airstrikes on Yemen. In the meantime, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates announced their support for Saudi Arabia.

🔸On Wednesday, 25 Shahrivar, the Houthis claimed they had shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter aircraft while it was carrying out operations in the Ma’rib province with a domestically made air-to-air missile.

🔸Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesman, also accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out hundreds of airstrikes in recent days on various locations in Yemen.

🔸Saudi Arabia has not confirmed the downing of its fighter aircraft as of the time this report was published, and independent sources have not verified the Houthis’ claim.

🔸The claim was raised hours after the Saudi-led coalition said that on Tuesday it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone over southern Mecca before it entered the city’s restricted airspace.

🔸Turki Al-Maliki, the coalition spokesman for the security of Mecca and Medina and for pilgrims, called security in Mecca and Medina “a red line,” and said the coalition would take the necessary measures for deterrence against Houthi attacks.

🔸The Houthis have denied targeting Mecca or other sacred sites and said the objective of their attacks is Saudi oil facilities and military bases.

🔸These developments come after several days of Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory. Saudi officials say that in one of the recent attacks on an air base in the south of the country, 13 civilians were injured.

🔸Read the full version of this report on the Radio Farda website.