Monday 11 May 2015

Yemen: Saada Tribal Fighters Down Fighter Jet, Seize New Posts in Saudi’s Jizan

Local Editor

Yemeni tribal fighters downed a warplane belonging to the Saudi-led coalition, as they seized control of two new Saudi posts in the province of Jizan.

The anti-aircraft guns of the tribes downed a hostile fighter jet in Saada's Wadi Noshour area, sources told al-Manar.

Saada Tribal Fighters Down Fighter Jet, Seize New Posts in Saudi’s Jizan

For its part, al-Massirah TV also reported the event, broadcasting images of tribesmen celebrating around the wreckage of a plane.

The television said it was an F-16 fighter jet while the footage showed a Moroccan flag on a broken rudder lying on a rocky patch.

Morocco said contact was lost with the fighter and its pilot at 6 pm (1500 GMT) on Sunday, the official MAP news agency reported, citing an armed forces statement.

"A second plane which was flying in formation was not able to see whether the pilot ejected," it added.
Meanwhile, the tribal fighters took control of two Saudi posts in the province of Jizan.

Saada Tribal Fighters Down Fighter Jet, Seize New Posts in Saudi’s Jizan

Saudi border guards fled the posts of Jallah and Radif as the tribal fighters took control of them, sources told al-Manar.

Yemen has been since March 26 under brutal aggression by Saudi-US coalition. Thousands have been martyred and injured in the attack, with the vast majority of them are civilians.

Riyadh launched the attack on Yemen in a bid to restore power to Yemen’s fugitive president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi who is a close ally to Saudi Arabia.

On April 21, Saudi Arabia declared the end of the aggression, dubbed “Decisive Strom,” and the start of another campaign called “Restoring Hope.” The Saudi-led warplanes are still conducting airstrikes on several areas across Yemen.