Yemen’s Army Unveils New Generation of Homegrown Missiles

Spokesman for Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the solid propellant and Scud-type Borkan-3 missile was launched from an undisclosed location in Yemen the previous day, and struck a designated military site in Dammam in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, Press TV reported.

Speaking at a press conference in the capital city of Sana'a on Friday, Saree further highlighted that the radar-evading missile has undergone successful experimental tests, and can hit targets deep inside the countries of aggression.

Separately, dozens of Saudi-sponsored militiamen loyal to former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi have been killed and injured when Yemeni army troops, backed by fighters from allied Popular Committees, launched an attack in Saudi Arabia’s southern border region of Jizan.

An unnamed Yemeni military source told Arabic-language al-Masirah television network that Yemeni soldiers and their allies pounded the positions of Saudi mercenaries north of the mountainous Jabal al-Nar area of the region, located 967 kilometers southwest of the capital Riyadh, on Friday afternoon.

The source added that dozens of Saudi-paid militiamen were killed and injured in the process, whilst a number of fled to save their lives.

Furthermore, more than a dozen militiamen backed by the United Arab Emirates have been killed in a surprise attack by members of the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) terrorist group in Yemen’s southern province of Abyan.

A local source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Arabic-language al-Masdar Online news website that the extremists staged an ambush on the command center of UAE-paid Security Belt Forces, which forms the elite military wing of the so-called Southern Transitional Council, in the al-Mahfad district of the province late on Thursday, killing 15 mercenaries and injuring several others in the process.

The source added that pro-Hadi militants, supported by Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters of the Saudi-led military coalition pounding Yemen, later managed to wrest control over the site.

Last year, an investigation found that the Saudi-led alliance had secured secret deals with al-Qaeda terrorists in the violence-wracked country, recruiting hundreds of its Takfiri militants in the ground operations against fighters from the Houthi Ansarullah movement and allied forces.

The probe conducted by The Associated Press and released on August 7, 2018 called into question the coalition’s claims about victories against al-Qaeda militants, suggesting that the notorious terror group is effectively on the same side as the US, Saudi Arabia and its allies in Yemen.

The Saudi-led coalition has been paying some al-Qaeda commanders to leave key Yemeni cities, while allowing others to retreat with weapons, equipment and wads of looted cash, the investigation uncovered.

It further said that the Riyadh-led alliance had recruited hundreds of al-Qaeda elements. The US, the report said, was aware of Saudi Arabia’s collusion with the militants and held off on the drone attacks purportedly targeting them.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of Hadi back to power and crushing Ansarullah movement.

The US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, estimates that the Saudi-led war has claimed the lives of over 60,000 Yemenis since January 2016.

The war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN says over 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of humanitarian aid, including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger.