(Previous Incident Codes: YEM127Cii USYEM144 )

In the first alleged strike in a series of strikes, over May 17th – 18th, 2023, a suspected U.S drone bombed an Al Qaeda site in Wadi Muhur, killing six members, including two of Arab nationalities. Mareb Press, quoting CNN, was the only source to report on this strike and added that “It is likely that the organization’s emir in Abyan, Jalal Belaid, was injured, noting that a medical team was summoned to his house.” Jalal was also reported as killed in another strike on the same day, which later was proven untrue when he was killed in 2016.

While the source did not attribute the drone strikes to a belligerent, the US was the only country operating drones in Yemen during the time and the third drone strike of the evening was attributed to the US.