Iranian-backed Houthis rebels have claimed responsibility for a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone crash off the coast of Yemen on Thursday, confirmed on Friday.
Thursday's crash is the fourth remotely piloted drone brought down by Iranian-proxy groups since November, costing the U.S. government upwards of $120 million. It is also the third time Houthi rebels have brought down a U.S. MQ-9 drone. Last fall, the Houthis released video of a reaper drone the rebels shot down on Nov. 8, one day after Hamas' unprovoked attack on Israel. The rebels also brought down a second MQ-9 earlier this year, and another Iranian-proxy group brought one down in Iraq in January.
MQ-9 Reapers are primarily used to collect intelligence but can also be armed with Hellfire missiles. They have a wingspan of 66 feet and cost about $30 million.
Unlike other Iranian-proxy groups, the Houthis continue to launch attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. They have launched 131 attacks to date, according to a U.S. defense official.
On Thursday, Houthis also attacked a ship traveling through the Gulf of Aden, officials said. The attack came after the U.S. military said early Thursday that an allied warship shot down a Houthi missile targeting a vessel the day before near the same area. The Houthis also claimed responsibility for Wednesday's assault, which comes after a period of relatively few rebel attacks on shipping in the region over Israel’s ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
