Drones were seen flying over Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Friday as the Houthi group fired anti-aircraft weapons to shoot them down, Yemeni residents told Anadolu.
The residents said they spotted drones flying over several neighborhoods, including Saawan and Al-Hasaba in the northeast of the city.
The Houthi anti-aircraft fire caused explosions and sparked fear among residents, they added.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s independent Belqees news website also reported that “explosions, air defense fire and gunshots were heard early Friday in the capital Sanaa.”
The website quoted residents as saying that “the sounds of explosions and gunfire did not stop, causing fear and concern among residents, with the reasons remaining unclear.”
It also cited Houthi-affiliated media outlets and social media accounts as saying that the group’s “air defense systems were activated to counter drones flying heavily” over Sanaa.
The Houthis did not immediately comment on the incident, while the identity of the drones and the party that launched them was not immediately clear.
The incident comes amid renewed military escalation in Yemen since July, the most extensive in years following a period of relative calm after an April 2022 truce.
Yemen has been at war since the Houthis seized control of the capital Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014, before a Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
