Akinci UAV crashes in Yemen for first time

A still from the video Ansar Allah's military wing released on 26 July showing the wreckage of a Bayraktar Akinci UAV that it said was shot down over Al-Jawf. (Ansar Allah)

The Yemeni rebel group Ansar Allah (Houthis) announced on 26 July that it had shot down an Akıncı unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operated by Saudi Arabia earlier that day in Al-Jawf governorate.

The group's armed wing did not state how the UAV was shot down but supported its claim with a video showing an aircraft falling from the sky and Yemeni men inspecting the burning wreckage of one that could be identified as a Turkish-made Bayraktar Akıncı.

The loss of the Akıncı came after Ansar Allah's armed wing claimed on 14 July that it had shot down a Saudi Wing Loong II UAV over Al-Bayda governorate, although it released no evidence to support that claim.

Hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Ansar Allah re-escalated after 13 July, when the runway at the Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport was bombed.

Yemen's Saudi-backed government said the runway was hit to prevent an Iranian Mahan Air flight from landing but the video of the attack showed strike was carried out using sophisticated air-launched weapons, probably Storm Shadow cruise missiles, a type in service with the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF).

This led to Ansar Allah announcing on 20 July that it had imposed a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and on 22 July that two Saudi-flagged tankers – Layla and Encela – had been attacked.

The UK Maritime Trade Organisation confirmed one vessel was attacked off Saudi Arabia's southern Red Sea coast, saying its master had reported that the ship was hit by an unknown projectile that caused a fire.