The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed on Tuesday evening that they shot down an American drone over the country on the Arabian Peninsula. The U.S. military acknowledged reports about the downing 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.
In a statement, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the latest drone was shot down with a locally made surface-to-air missile. He alleged the drone “was carrying out hostile missions” over Yemen’s southern province of Bayda. Footage released by the Houthis purportedly showing the attack indicated that the downing took place Sunday.
Since Yemen’s civil war started in 2014, when the Houthis seized most of the country’s north and its capital of Sanaa, the U.S. military has lost at least five drones to the rebels.
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