Houthi rebels claim to have downed American drone in southern Yemen province
US military’s Central Command acknowledges the reports but declines to comment; if confirmed, it would be 2nd such case in a week
CAIRO, Egypt — The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed Tuesday that they had shot down an American drone over the country on the Arabian Peninsula. The US military acknowledged reports but didn’t comment.
If confirmed, it would be the second MQ-9 Reaper drone downed by the Houthis over the past week as they press their campaign over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Last Friday, the Houthis claimed downing an American drone over the province of Marib, hours after footage circulated online of what appeared to be the wreckage of an MQ-9 Reaper.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said Tuesday the latest drone was shot down with a locally made surface-to-air missile. He did not say when it occurred but alleged the drone “was carrying out hostile missions” over Yemen’s southern province of Bayda.
Responding to an Associated Press inquiry, the US military’s Central Command acknowledged reports about the downing but declined to comment.
Since Yemen’s civil war started in 2014, when the Houthis seized most of the country’s north and its capital of Sanaa, the US military has lost at least five drones to the rebels.
Reapers cost around $30 million apiece. They can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,000 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.
The Houthis in recent months have stepped up attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, demanding that Israel end the war in Gaza, which was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, in which some 1,200 people were murdered in Israel, mostly civilians, and 252 were taken hostage.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 35,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though only some 24,000 fatalities have been identified at hospitals. The toll, which cannot be verified, includes some 15,000 terror operatives Israel says it has killed in battle. Israel also says it killed some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.
The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the US Maritime Administration.
Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat.
The rebels claimed last week that they fired a missile toward a US Navy destroyer in the Red Sea. However, the US military said the warship had intercepted the anti-ship ballistic missile.
