- Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed to have shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone.
- The U.S. military did not immediately acknowledge the claim, but if confirmed, it would be the second MQ-9 Reaper shot down by the Houthis in a week.
- The Houthis have also stepped up attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, demanding that Israel end the war in Gaza. The Houthis launched more than 50 attacks on ships in total.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed Tuesday they had shot down a US drone over the poor Arab country. The U.S. military did not immediately acknowledge the claim.
If confirmed, it would be the second MQ-9 Reaper drone shot dead by the Houthis over the past week as they continue their campaign against the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Last Friday, the Houthis claimed to have shot down a US drone over Marib province, hours after images of what appeared to be the wreckage of an MQ-9 Reaper surfaced online. And early Saturday, a ship was also attacked in the Red Sea.
LIKELY MISSILE ATTACK BY YEMEN’S HOUTHI REBELS DAMAGES SHIP IN RED SEA
The Houthi military spokesperson, Brigadier-General. Gen. Yahya Saree said Tuesday that the drone was shot down by a locally made surface-to-air missile. He did not specify when this took place, but claimed the drone was “carrying out hostile missions” over Bayda province in southern Yemen.
U.S. Central Command, based in the Middle East, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press regarding the incident.
Houthi supporters sit in front of a giant Palestinian flag during a rally against U.S.-led strikes on Yemen and in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, May 17, 2024. Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said on May 20, 2024, that Iran-backed rebels shot down a U.S. drone. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
Since the start of Yemen’s civil war in 2014, when the Houthis seized most of the country’s north and its capital Sanaa, the US military has lost at least five drones to the rebels.
The Reapers, which cost about $30 million each, can fly at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.
The Houthis also intensification of attacks on maritime transport in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, demanding that Israel end the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostages.
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The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on ships, seized one ship and sunk another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration.
Shipping via the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined due to the threat.
The rebels said last week that they fired a missile towards a US Navy destroyer in the Red Sea. However, the US military said the warship intercepted the anti-ship ballistic missile.
