Saudi-led coalition warplanes targeted the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in Sanaa early on 14 February with two air raids, while another raid targeted Jabal al-Nahdeen overlooking the presidential house, south of Sanaa.

Witnesses said that violent explosions were heard, and plumes of smoke and flames were seen rising from the site of the targeted areas. At the time, the sources said that coalition fighters were flying intensively overhead within the airspace of Sanaa and at low altitudes.

A statement reported by the Saudi Press Agency claimed that it had “destroyed a communications system used to operate front communications stations to control drones.”

Another statement by the Saudi-led coalition justified the attack by saying that “Houthis use the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in Sanaa to support the hostilities,” adding that the coalition had “contacted one of the ministries via landline,” advising the “evacuation of civilians from the site.”

The coalition also advised the immediate evacuation of civilians from all Yemeni state ministries.

In an 11 February statement to Al Arabiya TV, the coalition warned people in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa to avoid civilian locations used for military purposes during the next 72 hours while it strikes drone launch sites.

The Saudi coalition said that the attacks were carried out in retaliation Ansarallah’s drone strike on Abha International Airport on 10 February, in the Asir province in Saudi Arabia.

At that time, Yahya Saree, the spokesman for the military wing of the Ansarallah resistance movement, announced that Ansarallah had bombed a military target at Abha airport with a Qasef 2 drone.