Yemen's Houthi rebels have claimed to have shot down an American-made MQ-9 drone flying over the country. The rebels made this assertion early Sunday, marking a potential incident involving the downing of the multimillion-dollar surveillance aircraft. In response to the claim, the U.S. military stated that it was aware of the report but had not received any confirmation of American military drones being downed over Yemen.
The rebels did not provide any visual evidence to support their claim, although they have done so in the past. The Houthis have previously downed General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drones, with attacks intensifying since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict and the Houthis' targeting of shipping in the Red Sea corridor.
Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree announced the downing of the drone in a prerecorded video message, stating that it occurred over Yemen's Marib province, a region with significant oil and gas fields that has been under the control of allies of a Saudi-led coalition since 2015.
While details on how the drone was downed were not provided, it is known that Iran has supplied the rebels with a surface-to-air missile known as the 358. Despite Iran's denial of arming the rebels, weaponry of Iranian origin has been discovered on the battlefield and in shipments destined for Yemen, in violation of a United Nations arms embargo.
The MQ-9 Reaper drones, valued at around $30 million each, have been utilized by the U.S. military and the CIA for operations over Yemen. Following the claim by the Houthis, reports emerged of U.S.-led airstrikes near the city of Ibb, although the U.S. military did not immediately acknowledge these strikes.
The Houthis have targeted over 80 merchant vessels using missiles and drones since the conflict in Gaza began in October. Their actions have resulted in the seizure and sinking of vessels, as well as casualties among sailors. The rebels claim to target ships associated with Israel, the U.S., or the U.K. to pressure an end to Israel's campaign against Hamas in Gaza, although some attacked vessels have had minimal or no connection to the conflict.
One notable incident includes the attack on the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion in the Red Sea, which remains stranded with its cargo at risk of spilling. Salvage efforts have faced challenges in removing the vessel from the area.
