A number of drones have reportedly targeted Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport. The northern Yemeni group, the Houthi movement, is taking credit. The attack forced the airport to close for a few hours and took out military positions and a few sensitive targets.
The Saudi-led military brutally took over Yemen in 2015. Many of the hospitals and infrastructure have been destroyed, leaving the people with no support and nowhere safe to go.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Sare’e posted the following on Twitter confirming an attack was made on the Abha Airport, which included multiple drones.
Along with the tweet, Sare’e also shared a statement that states the Houthi movement carried out a “wide-scale attack against Abha International Airport with several drones that targeted military posts and sensitive targets.” He went on to say the attack was successful and shared the reason why the attack took place:
This operation is in retaliation to the continued escalation of aggression and continued blockade against Yemen.
The drones used
The drones used in the attack were the Samad 3 long-range UAV, which is named after the Houthi leader Saleh al-Sammad, who was assassinated by the United Arab Emirates in 2018. The Samad 3 is an extended-range version of the Samed 2 drone. It is capable of flying 1,500 km on a single fuel tank and is described as “inexpensive, small, slow, and clumsy, and unlikely to strike targets with good accuracy.”
The drone has a length of 9 feet 2 inches and a wingspan of 14 feet 9 inches and comes with one of two engines, the Chinese-made DLE 170 or German-made 3W110i B2 engine. It has a maximum speed of 160 mph and can fly as slow as 120 mph.
Photo: Houthi Media Office
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments