An earlier allegation made by the Iran-backed organization was confirmed by a senior US defense official on Wednesday: Yemen’s Huthi rebels shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone.
The MQ-9 was spying as part of the US backing for Israel in its war against Hamas, according to the Huthis, who have previously downed an American drone.
“A US military MQ-9 remotely-piloted aircraft was shot down off the coast of Yemen by Huthi forces,” the official said.
The Huthis who seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2014 and control large swathes of the country claimed the shootdown earlier in the day.
“Our air defences were able to down an American MQ-9 while it was carrying out hostile surveillance and espionage activities in Yemeni territorial waters as part of American military support” for Israel, the Huthis said in a statement.
Following a surprise cross-border strike from Gaza on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of over 1,400 people, according to Israeli officials, Hamas militants swiftly provided military support to Israel and increased American soldiers in the area.
The health ministry of the territory reports that over 10,500 people have died as a result of Israel’s military’s ceaseless air, land, and naval assault on Gaza, which has infuriated the whole region.
The US Navy intercepted multiple missiles fired by the Huthis last month. The Huthis have threatened Israel on multiple times in recent weeks.
