Yemen’s drone war: Rivals flex growing aerial muscle

Sanaa, Yemen – After the Houthi armed group in Yemen launched attacks on government military camps and gatherings last week using one-way attack drones, it killed and injured dozens of government soldiers. But the internationally recognised Yemeni government was quick to retaliate by employing remotely operated drones to attack Houthi fighters on the front lines. That development is significant in Yemen’s decadelong conflict because it highlights the growing use of drones on the battlefield.Government military units have repeatedly broadcast video footage showing drones tracking their targets, dropping bombs, killing fighters, destroying armoured vehicles and damaging hideouts.“The government side is now acquiring a potentially important tactical capability of its own,” said Marius Bales, a doctoral researcher at the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies. “Reusable, remotely piloted drones may be particularly useful for the day-to-day battle along relatively static front lines, even if they cannot match the Houthis’ strategic strike range.”Rueben Dass, associate research fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told Al Jazeera that Yemeni go...