Another US MQ-9 Reaper drone was shot down in Yemen on Wednesday as Yemen’s Houthi rebels continue to attack shipping in the Red Sea region over the war between Israel and Hamas, Arab media reported (updated at 9:52 a.m.).
The Houthis released footage they say shows a surface-to-air missile shooting down a plane in a desert area in the central Yemeni province of Marib. This is the third aircraft the Houthis have shot down this month.
The video shows the MQ-9 Reaper lying on its belly in the barren desert with its tail section detached from the rest of its hull. At least one hatch on the drone appears to have opened after landing, although the unmarked drone itself remained largely intact with no obvious damage from the explosion. One of the images shows the date Wednesday.
A US defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid discussing intelligence matters, told media that “the US Air Force has not lost any aircraft operating in the US Central Command area of responsibility.” The official declined to elaborate.
The CIA is also believed to have flown Reaper drones over Yemen, both to monitor the war and as part of its campaign against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the local branch of the Yemeni militant group. The CIA declined to comment when contacted by media.
Marib is located 120 kilometres (75 miles) east of Sanaa, on the edge of the Arabian Peninsula’s Empty Quarter desert at the foot of the Sarawat Mountains running along the Red Sea. The province has been the site of US drone strikes more than once, in part because the region remains crucial to the outcome of Yemen’s long-running war.
Houthis activity in the region
Since the start of Yemen’s civil war in 2014, when the Houthis took over much of the north of the country and its capital Sanaa, the US military has lost at least five drones to insurgents.
The Reapers cost about $30 million apiece. They can fly up to 50,000 feet (about 15,000 metres) and have a range of up to 24 hours before they need to land.
The Houthis have stepped up attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in recent months, demanding that Israel halt its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.
The Houthis have carried out more than 50 attacks on ships since November, hijacking one vessel and sinking another, according to the US Maritime Administration. This threat has provoked a significant reduction in shipping traffic through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
