The Arab Coalition said it launched air strikes on Sanaa targeting sites it believes are associated with the Houthi rebel drone programme.
The coalition that is led by Saudi Arabia and includes the UAE said it took measures to protect civilians while striking the Houthi-held Yemeni capital on Saturday night, and warned civilians to stay away from targeted areas.
The targeted sites included the Houthi-held First Armoured Division – a former Yemeni Army base in north-west Sanaa – Al Dailami air base in northern Sanaa, and Houthi camps in Al Nahdein and Al Hafa in southern Sanaa.
Colonel Turki Al Maliki, the official spokesperson for the Arab Coalition, said intelligence highlighted specific locations after gathering details on the locations of the drone workshops, storage facilities and launch pads.
He said intelligence had determined the locations after a prolonged surveillance programme that was able to specify the drone communication system and the "whereabouts of foreign experts". Saudi Arabia, along with its Arab allies, say Iran has bolstered the Houthis since the beginning of the conflict by smuggling weapons into Yemen and providing the rebels with military training.
Further information about the targeted sites, and how they were used by Houthi rebels to develop their drone capabilities, was not immediately available.
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