The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed they shot down an American drone on Tuesday. The US military has not yet confirmed this claim.
If this claim is true, it would be the second time in a week that the Houthis have downed an American MQ-9 Reaper drone. These incidents come as the Houthis intensify their actions due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
Last Friday, the terrorist group of Houthis also claimed to have downed an American drone in Marib province. Shortly after this claim, videos of what appeared to be wreckage of an MQ-9 Reaper drone surfaced online. The next day, a vessel was attacked in the Red Sea.
Houthi’s spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said on Tuesday that the drone was brought down with a locally made missile. He did not specify when the incident happened but said the drone was on a “hostile mission” over Yemen’s Bayda province.
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The US Central Command, which operates in the Middle East, has not yet commented on the incident. Since the start of Yemen’s civil war in 2014, the US has lost at least five drones to the Houthis.
MQ-9 Reaper drones cost about $30 million each, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet, and can stay airborne for up to 24 hours before needing to land.
The Houthis have also increased their attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. They are demanding an end to the war in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of over 35,000 Palestinians. The conflict started after Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages.
Since November, the Houthis have carried out over 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel, and sunk another, as per the US Maritime Administration. This has led to a decline in shipping through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Recently, the Houthis claimed to have fired a missile at a US Navy destroyer in the Red Sea, but the US military reported that the warship intercepted the missile.
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