In January 2019, a drone attack took place in the Al-Anad Yemeni military base. At least 5 Yemen soldiers were killed and at least 20 members of the military were injured. The unmanned aircraft could have been equipped with as much as 220 pounds of explosive materials and targeted the military parade after the rebels had assessed the enemy’s intention.

Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, the leader of the Islamic religious-political-armed movement, had announced a strategy of using drones and ballistic missiles in 2017. The group is at war with a Saudi-UAE-led coalition which began its military campaign in Yemen in March 2015, after the Houthis overran the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.

Since 2017, the rebels have launched several ballistic and drone attacks on neighbouring Saudi Arabia and forces in the country loyal to the Yemeni government.