Yemen's internationally recognised government-aligned forces said early on Monday that they intercepted “hostile Houthi drones” west of the southern city of Aden, the country’s interim capital.

The Southern Armed Forces, led by Presidential Leadership Council member Abdul Rahman al-Muharrami, said on X that the drones were intercepted before reaching their targets, without providing further details.

The forces did not specify the source of the drones or the outcome of the interception operation.

The Houthis did not immediately comment on the statement.

Yemen had been under a relative lull since April 2022 after nearly 12 years of war between government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and the Iran-backed Houthis, who seized control of the capital Sanaa, and large parts of the country in 2014.

Since late 2023, after the Gaza war began, the Houthis have become increasingly involved in regional hostilities, launching attacks on Israel and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, while recent renewed fighting has raised fears of a return to full-scale conflict in Yemen.