The Yemeni Navy, backed by a Saudi-UAE collation, said Tuesday September 10th that it had intercepted and seized an explosives-laden booby-trapped “drone boat” launched by Houthi rebels.
UAE publication Khaleej Times claimed that the Yemeni Navy intercepted the boat as it was travelling at about 30 knots on its way to intercept a merchant ship in the Red Sea.
In late August coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki said that coalition prevented a plan to attack commercial shipping on August 23rd when a booby-trapped boat was launched from the shores of Hodeidah. It was not clear whether the events referred to were the same.
In January 2017 Houthi forces struck and damaged Saudi frigate Al-Madinah with an unmanned drone boat, and might also have attempted a similar strike in April last year on a Saudi petroleum product terminal in April 2017