Dubai, United Arab Emirates (AP) Yemen’s Houthi rebels Rebels claimed to have shot down another US-made MQ-9 drone flying over the country early Sunday in what could have been the latest downing of a surveillance aircraft worth millions of dollars. The rebels said the US then launched airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas.
The U.S. military told The Associated Press it was aware of the allegations but had “not received any reports” that a U.S. drone had been shot down over Yemen.
As in the past, the rebels have not provided any photos or videos to back up their claims, but such material could appear in a propaganda film in the coming days.
But the Houthis have repeatedly shot down General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drones since taking control of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014. Such attacks have increased dramatically since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, and the Houthis have launched a campaign targeting shipping in the Red Sea corridor.
Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree made the claim in a recorded video message, in which he said the Houthis shot down the drone over Yemen’s Marib province. A long-contested region containing major oil and gas fields It has been occupied since 2015 by allies of the Saudi-led coalition that has been battling rebels.
Salih did not provide details about how the rebels managed to shoot down the plane, but Iran has for years supplied the rebels with surface-to-air missiles, known as the 358. Iran has denied supplying weapons to the rebels, but Tehran-made weapons found on battlefield They are also included in sea shipments to Yemen, despite a UN arms embargo.
Salih said the Houthis “continue to carry out their jihad mission for the victory of the oppressed Palestinian people and to protect our beloved Yemen.”
The Reaper, which costs about $30 million each and can fly up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and for up to 24 hours before landing, has been flown over Yemen for years by both the US military and the CIA.
The claim was followed by Houthi satellite news channel Al Masirah reporting multiple US-led airstrikes near the city of Ibb. US Central Command said late Sunday it had “destroyed three Iranian-backed Houthi drones and two missile systems in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen,” without providing further details.
of The U.S. military has been launching fierce attacks on the Houthis since January..
The Houthis have attacked more than 80 merchant ships with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza began in October. One ship was seized and Sink 2 ships in the campaign Four sailors were also killed in the attack. Other missiles and drones were either intercepted by the US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western warships.
The rebels say they are targeting ships linked to Israel, the United States and Britain in an effort to end Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including those bound for Iran.
Those attacks included artillery fire on the Greek oil tanker Sounion in the Red Sea, forcing rescue teams to abandon their initial attempt last week. tow a burning oil tankerThis would isolate the Sounion River and put it at risk of spilling one million barrels of oil.
