Sanaa

Yemen's Houthi rebels on Wednesday claimed that their forces shot down a Chinese 'Wing Loong II' armed reconnaissance drone allegedly belonging to Saudi Arabia while it was carrying out "hostile missions" over Mocha in Taiz Governorate.

Spokesperson of the Houthi rebels, Yahya Saree, said in a statement on Telegram that the drone had been targeted with "appropriate weaponry."

Saree said, "The Yemeni Armed Forces shot down a Wing Loong II armed reconnaissance drone belonging to the Saudi enemy while it was carrying out hostile missions over Mocha in Taiz Governorate. It was targeted with appropriate weaponry."

The Wing Loong II UAV is an updated version of the Wing Loong 1 UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) in the category of MALE (Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance) designed and manufactured in China by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

Meanwhile, on Monday (local time), the G7 Foreign Ministers strongly condemned continued Houthi strikes in Yemen and against Saudi Arabia, including attacks affecting civilians and civilian infrastructure, and called on Iran to end its arming and support for the rebel groups.

In a statement issued, the G7 Foreign Ministers said the situation in Yemen poses a threat to regional stability and security, global energy security, navigational rights and maritime security in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The statement was issued by the Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, along with the High Representative of the European Union.

"We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, consider that the situation in Yemen represents an unacceptable threat to regional stability and security, to global energy security as well as to navigational rights and freedoms, and maritime security in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait," the statement read.

The G7 condemned what it called the continued strikes carried out by the Houthis in Yemen and against Saudi Arabia, saying the attacks deepen humanitarian suffering.

"We condemn in the strongest terms the unacceptable continued strikes carried out by the Houthis in Yemen and against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including those affecting civilians and civilian infrastructure, which deepen humanitarian suffering," it added.

The group expressed solidarity with the legitimate Government of Yemen and Saudi Arabia and called on the Houthis to immediately halt military actions, threats and attacks against civilian shipping and return to the political process.

The G7 also directly called on Iran to end its support for the Houthis.

"We call on Iran to end its arming of and support for the Houthis in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions 1747, 2140 and 2216," the statement added.

The G7 said the attacks risk further escalation and could undermine international trade and create wider economic instability, and stressed the importance of maintaining maritime safety and navigational freedoms to prevent lasting disruptions to global supply chains, particularly the movement of energy, fertiliser and food.

The statement comes after Houthi rebels carried out missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia.

In a statement on September 19, spokesperson for the Houthi rebel spokesperson Yahya Qasim Saree said the attacks were carried out in response to what he described as Saudi attempts to target Sana'a.

READ MORE:Khalifa, friends raise ₹6 crore for a SMA-afflicted child at Jama Masjid

"In response to the Saudi enemy's criminal attempts to target the capital, Sana'a, using ISIS-style tactics, including indiscriminate bombings targeting civilians. The Yemeni Armed Forces carried out two successful military operations using a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones. The first targeted sensitive sites in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and the second targeted Aramco facilities in Yanbu. Both operations were successful, by the grace of God, and resulted in massive fires at the targeted locations," the statement read.

Following the strikes, concerns grew over the possibility of further escalation involving the United States and the Houthis.