The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, led by Saudi Arabia, announced Thursday morning that the Saudi defenses had intercepted and destroyed a drone that was launched towards the Kingdom.
The coalition added in a statement that it will take immediate measures to neutralize and destroy the threat to protect civilians.
The coalition had announced that, on Wednesday evening, it had received a distress call from an oil tanker following it was subjected to armed harassment in front of the port of Hodeidah.
The coalition confirmed the presence of high-risk indicators on the region and the sea corridor opposite the port of Hodeidah.
The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced, on Wednesday, that it had monitored and documented “the process of preparing for a hostile action with a booby-trapped boat from the Yemeni port of Saleef.”
The coalition added that “planning And the implementation of the piracy of the shipping ship “Rawabi” Depart from the port of Hodeidah.
The coalition considered that “the port of Hodeidah is a major center for receiving and assembling Iranian ballistic missiles.” He also stressed that “Hodeidah and Saleef are major centers of hostilities threat to maritime security..
Members of the Houthi militia in the Salif port (archive)
This comes following a spokesman for the coalition forces to support legitimacy in Yemen demanded on Tuesday that the Houthi militia release the UAE-flagged merchant ship “Rawabi”, which the group hijacked off the Yemeni coast.
The Saudi Press Agency quoted the spokesman, Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki, calling on the Houthis to release the Rawabi ship from the Salif port with its full cargo of a humanitarian, non-combat nature.
He added that if the Houthis did not abide by this, “the ports of launch and harboring operations of piracy, kidnapping, armed robbery and elements of maritime piracy that occurred would make them legitimate military targets In accordance with the provisions and provisions of international humanitarian law and the relevant laws of the sea.
Al-Maliki considered that the Houthi kidnapping of the “Rawabi” ship on Sunday is a “criminal act” planned by the militia, adding: “The implementation of the piracy and kidnapping operation started from the port of Hodeidah to intercept the merchant ship in the international sea lane, which is a flagrant violation of the principles of international humanitarian law and the relevant laws of the sea.” relevance”.
