Yemen’s Houthis claim they downed another American drone as US strikes pound country
Trump promises ‘real pain’ for Iran-backed rebels, who say they used a ‘locally manufactured missile’ to shoot down 16th, $30-million MQ-9 Reaper drone since Oct. 7 attack
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed Tuesday that they shot down another American MQ-9 Reaper drone, even as the US kept up its campaign of intense airstrikes targeting the group.
The reported shootdown over Yemen’s contested Marib governate came as airstrikes hit around Sanaa, the country’s rebel-held capital, and Saada, a stronghold for the Houthis.
US President Donald Trump issued a new warning to both the Houthis and their main benefactor, Iran, describing the group as having “been decimated” by the campaign of strikes that began March 15.
“Many of their Fighters and Leaders are no longer with us,” Trump wrote on his social media website Truth Social.
“We hit them every day and night — Harder and harder. Their capabilities that threaten Shipping and the Region are rapidly being destroyed. Our attacks will continue until they are no longer a threat to Freedom of Navigation,” wrote Trump.
He added: “The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at US ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran.”
Houthis claim they downed another US drone
The rebels claimed to have shot down a drone in Marib governorate, home to oil and gas fields still under the control of allies to Yemen’s exiled central government. Footage released on social media showed flames in the night, with a Yemeni man claiming a drone had been shot down.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, separately claimed to have downed the MQ-9 drone in a prerecorded video message.
Saree described the rebels targeting the drone with “a suitable locally manufactured missile.” The Houthis have surface-to-air missiles — such as the Iranian missile known as the 358 — capable of downing aircraft.
Iran denies arming the rebels, though Tehran-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in sea shipments heading to Yemen for the Shiite Houthi rebels despite a United Nations arms embargo.
#اليمن #مأرب #الجوف
Breaking: The Houthis claim to have shot down a U.S. MQ-9 drone, reportedly over the Al Ghyal District in Al Jawf, northern Yemen—at least according to the person who filmed the incident, though his speech is muffled from chewing khat.
Meanwhile, the Houthi… pic.twitter.com/F8M3bLvxys— Basha باشا (@BashaReport) March 31, 2025
The US military acknowledged to The Associated Press being aware of reports of the downing of a Reaper, but declined to comment further.
General Atomics Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes over 40,000 feet (12,100 meters) and remain in the air for over 30 hours. The aircraft have been flown by both the US military and the CIA for years over Afghanistan, Iraq and now Yemen.
The Houthis claim they’ve shot down 20 MQ-9s over Yemen, 16 of which were shot down amid the rebels’ campaign over the Gaza war. The campaign began roughly a month after the war was sparked on October 7, 2023, when fellow Iran-backed group Hamas carried out an onslaught in southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages.
The US military hasn’t acknowledged the total number of drones it has lost over Yemen.
Intense US bombings began on March 15
An Associated Press review has found the new American operation against the Houthis under Trump appears more extensive than those under former US president Joe Biden, as Washington moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel as well as dropping bombs in cities.
The new campaign of airstrikes, which the Houthis now say have killed at least 61 people, started after the rebels threatened to resume attacks on “any Israeli vessel” due to Israel’s halt of humanitarian aid to Gaza in early March. The rebels — whose slogan is “death to America, death to Israel, curse the Jews” — have loosely defined what constitutes an Israeli ship, meaning many vessels could be targeted.
Meanwhile, the Houthis have resumed missile attacks on Israel itself, most recently firing at Israel on Sunday.
The Houthi attacks on Israel and maritime routes had paused for some two months after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire in January. However, the agreement’s first phase expired on March 2 amid Israel’s refusal to proceed to the second phase.
Before they paused their attacks, the Houthis had targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors. The Houthis also launched missiles and drones at Israel, killing one person and injuring several others in a drone strike on Tel Aviv in July.
The attacks on shipping have greatly raised the Houthis’ profile as they faced economic problems and launched a crackdown targeting dissent and aid workers at home amid Yemen’s decade-long stalemated war, which has torn apart the Arab world’s poorest nation.
The Times of Israel Community.