Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed to shoot down an American drone this week, following weeks of skirmishes between the rebel group and the American-led coalition in the area. The news came after the rebel group participated in a large-scale drone and missile attack on Israel earlier this month.
The rebel group said last week that it downed an American MQ-9 Reaper drone. The group claimed that the drone was destroyed over Yemeni airspace. The Houthis also released footage of the destroyed aircraft.
U.S. Officials have now Confirmed that Footage from yesterday did in fact show the Downing of a MQ-9 “Reaper” Surveillance Drone of the U.S. Air Force, by what is believed to have been a Houthi Surface-to-Air Missile System in the Saada Governorate of Northwestern Yemen, causing… pic.twitter.com/ksyImew4pZ
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 26, 2024
“We can confirm that a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 drone crashed in Yemen in the early morning (Sanaa Time) on April 26,” said a Pentagon official.
The Defense Department also stated that there were no casualties caused by the drone’s destruction. The Pentagon is investigating the incident.
The United States and its allies have been patrolling the Red Sea after the Houthis launched a series of drone, missile and hijacking attacks against international shipping traveling to and from the Suez Canal.
The international coalition has also bombed a series of Houthi missile sites in the country, including some that the United States said were in self-defense.
The rebels have also launched a number of drone and missile attacks against ships from the U.S. Navy, as well as the British Royal Navy and French Navy.
The Houthi rebels launched missiles at Israel during the overall attack that launched hundreds of projectiles led by Iran.
The rebel group also participated in a number of other attacks against Israeli or Israeli-linked targets. The attack on Israel was not the only time that the Houthis launched missiles or drones northward since the start of the current Middle East conflict last Oct. 7.
Furthermore, the rebels have attacked a number of vessels tied to Israel. They hijacked one and took the ship’s crew of 25 as hostages after it was linked to an Israeli businessman.
The group controls much of Yemen’s more heavily-populated western part of the country and has been fighting a civil war against the nation’s internationally-recognized government.
