Yemen’s Houthis claimed to have shot down a US MQ-9 Predator drone hours after a video surfaced online, according to Arab media.
If confirmed, it will be another Predator drone shot down by the Houthis. The Yemeni group continues its campaign in the region because of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree stated that the rebels shot down the Predator on Thursday with a surface-to-air missile. The general described the US drone as “carrying out hostile actions” in Yemen’s Marib province. According to ABC News, allies of Yemen’s ousted internationally recognised government still hold the region.
The US military did not respond to a request for comment on the Houthi claim. Although the rebels reported attacks that later turned out to be false, they have a history of shooting down American drones. Iran reportedly sponsors them with weapons capable of attacking at high altitudes.
Since the Houthis captured the north of the country and its capital Sanaa in 2014, the US military had previously lost at least five drones to the rebels. The Reapers, which cost about $30 million each, can fly at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet and operate for up to 24 hours before needing to land.
Cause of conflict
The shooting down of the drone came as the Houthis launched attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, demanding that Israel end the war in Gaza. As a result of the conflict, more than 35,000 Palestinians have died in the Gaza Strip so far, according to local health authorities. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.
Since November, the Houthis have carried out more than 50 attacks on ships, hijacking one vessel and sinking another, according to the US Maritime Administration.
The number of Houthi attacks declined in recent weeks, as the rebels became a target of US-led airstrikes in Yemen. However, shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden remains at a low level due to the constant threat.
