Houthis claim downing of US drone over Yemen.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have said they shot down a US military drone over the country’s Marib province. The group’s military spokesman Yahya Saree announced in a video message on Sunday.
It is the eighth such American unmanned aerial vehicle reportedly downed by the Houthis since the hostilities between Israel and Gaza erupted last year, according to Saree. However, footage of the latest incident has not been provided.
The Houthis have been carrying out attacks on vessels around Yemen in solidarity with Palestinians facing Israel’s ongoing offensive. Over 40,000 lives have been lost in Gaza since last October, noted the spokesman.
Advanced US Reaper drones worth $30 million have long conducted surveillance operations over Yemen during its civil war and more recently. The US is yet to comment on the Houthi claim.
Subsequently, the Houthi media reported multiple air raids by US-led forces near Ibb city. Last week, the American military had said it destroyed a Houthi drone and vehicle in Yemen, while blaming them for attacks on two oil tankers.
As tensions continue to simmer, the Yemeni rebels have warned of strengthening their defences against joint US-UK strikes. Their missile and drone assaults targeting ships in the Red Sea have disrupted crucial energy trade routes.
While no group has claimed responsibility officially, tracking data and previous similar incidents point to the Houthi rebels based in Yemen.
