Houthis say US drone downed in central Yemen

SANAA, Yemen

The Houthi group claimed on Wednesday to have shot down a US drone in central Yemen.

Military spokesman Yahya Saree said a US MQ-9 drone was intercepted “while carrying out hostile missions” over Marib province.

He said the drone was shot down by “a domestically made surface-to-air missile."

The spokesman said the drone was the second to have been downed in 72 hours and the 14th since last year.

There was no immediate US comment on the Houthi claim.

On Saturday, the Houthi group said it shot down a US MQ-9 drone over Al-Bayda province in central Yemen.

The Houthis have targeted Israeli cargo ships or those associated with Tel Aviv in the Red Sea with missiles and drones in a show of support with the Gaza Strip, where over 45,500 people have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war since Oct. 7, 2023.

Since early 2024, a US-led coalition has been conducting airstrikes that it said are targeting Houthi locations in parts of Yemen in retaliation for the Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The counterattacks have been occasionally met with retaliation from the group.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar