The drone attack carried out by Houthi rebels on a military parade at Al Anad military air base in Yemen's southern Lahij governorate demonstrates that Houthis seek an escalation of the crisis and must be condemned by the international community, Mukhtar al-Rahbi, adviser to the Yemeni minister of information and former press secretary to Yemen's president, told Sputnik on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th January, 2019) The drone attack carried out by Houthi rebels on a military parade at Al Anad military air base in Yemen's southern Lahij governorate demonstrates that Houthis seek an escalation of the crisis and must be condemned by the international community, Mukhtar al-Rahbi, adviser to the Yemeni minister of information and former press secretary to Yemen's president, told Sputnik on Thursday.Earlier in the day, a source in the local administration of Lahij told Sputnik that according to preliminary data, the unmanned aerial vehicle used in the attack has resulted in 20 casualties, including six fatalities.
"The Houthis have [taken responsibility for] the attack. The Houthis declare that they do not want calm but escalation. The United Nations and the international community must condemn this terrorist act," al-Rahbi said.
The minister's adviser confirmed that a number of military leaders present at the parade had only received minor injuries during the drone attack.
"The attack targeted military leaders of the Yemeni army, headed by General [Abdullah] Salem al-Nakhi, chief of staff of the Yemeni army, deputy chief of staff and governor of Lahij and military leaders. According to the confirmed information, the leadership suffered minor injuries," al-Rahbi said.
The attack took place almost a month after a round of UN-led consultations on the peace settlement process in Yemen took place in Sweden, resulting in an agreement on various humanitarian measures. The agreement included a proposal for the exchange of prisoners, a ceasefire in the Yemeni port city of Al Hudaydah, and the establishment of humanitarian corridors in the area.
Yemen has long been engulfed in a state of war between the internationally backed government and the Houthi rebels.
