Yemen’s Houthi rebels shot down two American MQ-9 Reaper drones in under a week, the United States military acknowledges,.
The US military says Houthis shot down the first Reaper on September 10, and the second on Monday. Online video showed the downing and the flaming wreckage on the ground afterward in Yemen’s Dhamar province.
General Atomics Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The aircraft have been flown by both the US military and the CIA over Yemen for years.
US Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary, says authorities continue to investigate Monday’s downing, but declines to elaborate. He adds that a claim by the Houthis that they shot down 10 Reapers since the start of their campaign in November over the Israel-Hamas war is “not accurate.”
“For operation security reasons, I’m not going to be able to provide a specific number,” Ryder says.
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