Houthis in Yemen Announce Downing of Another US-Made MQ-9 Drone

Sanaa, Jan 1 (NationPress) The Houthi movement in Yemen has reported the downing of a US-made MQ-9 drone over central Yemen on Wednesday, which is the second MQ-9 drone to be brought down by the group in just 72 hours.

According to Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea, who spoke on Houthi-operated al-Masirah TV, "We shot down an American MQ-9 aircraft while it was engaged in hostile operations over Marib province."

Sarea further mentioned that the drone was taken down using a locally-developed surface-to-air missile, asserting that this incident marks the 14th MQ-9 drone they have successfully shot down since November 2023.

Al-Masirah TV is expected to broadcast footage of the downed aircraft shortly.

The US military has yet to respond to the Houthi claims, as reported by Xinhua news agency.

Since November 2023, the Houthi group, which governs a majority of northern Yemen, has been actively conducting rocket and drone assaults against Israel and disrupting Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea, expressing solidarity with Palestinians amidst their conflict with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

In retaliation, a US-led naval coalition stationed in the region has been carrying out air strikes against Houthi targets, leading the Houthis to broaden their operations to include attacks on US warships.

On Tuesday, the US Central Command announced via social media that its forces had executed multiple precision strikes against Houthi targets in Sanaa and along Houthi-controlled coastal areas of Yemen since Monday.

These strikes targeted a Houthi command and control facility as well as advanced conventional weapon (ACW) production and storage sites, which included missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV).

Additionally, US Navy and Air Force aircraft successfully destroyed a Houthi coastal radar installation along with seven cruise missiles and one-way attack UAVs over the Red Sea.