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The Houthis (Ansar Allah) announced on July 29 that they had shot down a Turkish-made drone of the Saudi-led coalition over northern Yemen.
In a statement, the group’s military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the drone was downed “while it was carrying out hostile operations in the skies over Saada governorate at dawn,” adding that an “appropriate weapon” was used, without specifying further details.
Saree said the Houthis “will continue to protect the country’s sovereignty” and asserted what he described as Yemen’s “legitimate right to respond to any violation.”
The Karayel was developed by Turkey’s Vestel to carry out reconnaissance and combat missions. The drone has an endurance of up to 20 hours when not armed and down to 8 hours with a full payload. It has an operational range of 150 kilometers.
This was the second Saudi-operated drone to be shot down by the Houthis since July 20, when the group announced a naval blockade on the kingdom in response to its siege on Yemen.
The first drone shot down on July 26 was also Turkish-made, an Akıncı from Baykar. That was the first time the group had downed such a drone.
The Houthis possess fairly capable air defenses, ranging from man-portable systems to interceptors and medium-range anti-aircraft missiles.
Tensions have been mounting in Yemen since the start of the Houthi blockade on Saudi Arabia. The group has since claimed responsibility for several attacks that targeted energy infrastructure in the kingdom, and opened fire on three tankers off the Saudi Red Sea coast.
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