Houthis Claim Downing Of Saudi Drone Amid Biggest Clash Since 2022 Truce

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis said they shot down a Saudi-operated reconnaissance drone on Tuesday, a day after an exchange of hostilities erupted between the two sides for the first time in years.The fighters "succeeded in shooting down an enemy Saudi 'Wing Loong II' reconnaissance aircraft while it was carrying out hostile missions at dawn today over Al-Bayda Governorate in the centre of the country," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said.The latest claim came a day after the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of attacking rebel-held Sanaa airport and retaliated with strikes targeting an airport in the kingdom -- the biggest exchange of fire since a 2022 truce.The Saudi-backed Yemeni government claimed responsibility for that attack, saying it wanted to prevent an Iranian plane from landing.For more than a decade, aircraft entering Yemeni airspace have needed prior clearance from the Saudi-led coalition that backs the government and says it enforces the restriction at its request.The Houthis and their Iranian backers appear to have challenged this arrangement by organising direct flights from Iran, angering the government and its backer.The rebels will "confront any violation of the country's airspace and sovereignty, and declare that they will not stand idly by in the face of any aggression," Saree added. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)