Anad base drone strike

The Anad base drone strike was a Houthi attack carried out on 10 January 2019 in the Lahij Governorate near the southern port city of Aden.[1] The strike killed six people attending a military parade, including the head of Yemeni Intelligence, and wounded at least 25 military personnel[2] including a number of senior officers from the Yemeni army, the country's chief of staff, and a government official.[3][4][5]

Anad base drone strike
Part of Yemeni Civil War (2014–present)
Location of Lahij Governorate in Yemen
Location
Lahij Governorate, Yemen
Target Republic of Yemen Armed Forces
Date10 January 2019
Executed by Houthis
Casualties6 killed
25 injured

Attack

The attack targeted a military parade at the al-Anad airbase in the Lahij Governorate in the south of the country. A sophisticated Qasef-2K model drone drone exploded over the parade from a height of 20 meters and rained shrapnel down on the ground.[6][7] This model drone had not previously been used by the Houthis. The wounded included Maj. Gen. Mohammad Saleh Tamah, the head of Yemen's Intelligence Service, Mohammad Jawas, a senior military commander, and Ahmed al-Turki, the governor of Lahij.[3][6] General Tamah died of his injuries on January 13.[8]

Reaction

The Houthis’ Al-Masirah TV announced that the aims of al-Anad base drone strike were to attack “the leadership of the invaders”.[6][3]

The Houthi drone attack led to pressure on the UN to suspend peace talks in Yemen.[6]

"This is an unprecedented and pretty aggressive move for them to be hitting this base," Adam Baron, visiting fellow with the European Council on Human Relations, told ABC News. "The Houthis have not succeeded in carrying out an attack of this magnitude against a Yemeni military installation in quite some time."[7]

Jeremy Binnie, a weapons expert who works as the Middle East and Africa editor at Jane's Defence Weekly, said he believes it's the first time the Houthis used this version of the drone in the field.[9]

References
  1. Mahmood, Ali; Aldroubi, Mina. "Houthi rebel drone targets senior officers at Yemen's Al Anad military base". thenational. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  2. "Several killed in Houthi drone strike on Yemen's largest air base". middleeasteye. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  3. al-Kibsi, Mohammed. "Houthi drone targets senior Yemeni officers, kills five soldiers". aljazeera. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  4. "Yemen soldiers killed in Houthi drone attack on base". BBC. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  5. The Associated Press. "Bomb-Laden Rebel Drone Kills 6 at Yemen Military Parade". NYTimes. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  6. Wintour, Patrick. "Yemen peace talks at risk after several killed in Houthi drone attack". theguardian. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  7. McGarry, Matt. "Houthi rebels carry out drone attack on Yemeni military commanders". abcnews. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  8. Maj. Gen. Mohammad Tamah dies of his injuries in Aden Aden Press, 13 Jan 2019.
  9. Associated Press. "The Latest: Yemen says rebel attack a 'blatant challenge'". washingtonpost. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
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