Yemeni Drone Strike Disables Saudi Airport Radar, Halting Operations

By Staff, Agencies

A Saudi Arabian airport near the country’s border with Yemen has been forced to suspend operations after a retaliatory drone strike by Yemen’s Armed Forces damaged its main radar system.

According to AFP, citing a regional source familiar with the matter, operations at Najran Airport have been suspended indefinitely following the strike. The source said the airport’s primary radar sustained significant damage, while the airport’s website listed the status of upcoming flights as “unknown.”

Earlier on Tuesday, the Yemeni Armed Forces announced that they had targeted what they described as a strategic installation inside Najran Airport in southern Saudi Arabia. Military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the operation was carried out using a domestically produced kamikaze drone.

Saree stated that the strike was conducted in response to Saudi Arabia’s continued military actions and blockade against Yemen, as well as what he described as repeated violations of Yemeni airspace by Saudi drones over the northern provinces of Saada and Hajjah.

Last month, Yemen’s Armed Forces announced a naval blockade targeting Saudi-linked maritime traffic passing through the strategic Bab Al-Mandeb Strait. They said the measure was a response to Saudi Arabia’s blockade and restrictions imposed on Yemen.

Also on Tuesday, an analysis by the international maritime intelligence firm Windward indicated that Saudi-linked shipping through the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait had fallen to its lowest recorded level. According to the report, the average daily number of Saudi-linked vessels transiting the waterway dropped from about 30 to 18, representing a 22 percent decline. The reduction in oil tanker traffic was even greater, reaching 39 percent.

Authorities in Sanaa have pledged to continue the maritime blockade under what they describe as a “siege for siege” policy, saying the restrictions will remain in place as long as Saudi Arabia continues its blockade and maritime measures against Yemen.