Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed on Monday to have shot down another US-made MQ-9 Reaper drone, and a video emerged online showing what appeared to be a surface-to-air missile attack and burning debris strewn across the ground.
The US military said it was aware of the downing of a Houthi drone over the southwestern province of Dhamar, without giving details.
In the past, the Houthis have exaggerated their claims in their ongoing Red Sea boat campaign against the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. However, the online video reinforced the claim, especially after two recent Houthi claims were unsubstantiated.
Other images showed armed insurgents huddled around the burning wreckage, with a propeller similar to the one used by the armed drone visible on fire. One tried to throw a piece of metal because of the heat.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Sari, a Houthi military spokesman, identified the drone as an MQ-9, without explaining how the decision was reached. He said it was the group’s third downing in a week, though the other two claims did not include similar videos or other evidence. The U.S. military has also not acknowledged the loss of any aircraft.
Sari said the Houthis used a locally produced missile. However, Iran has been arming the rebels with a surface-to-air missile known as the 358 for years. Iran denies weapons to the rebels, although Tehran-made weapons have been found on the battlefield and in shipments to Yemen despite a U.N. arms embargo.
The Reapers, which cost about $30 million, can fly at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet and carry enough fuel to fly nonstop for up to 24 hours. Both the U.S. military and the CIA have flown the aircraft over Yemen for years.
The Houthis have attacked more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Gaza war began in October. The campaign also killed four sailors and sank one ship and two vessels. Other missiles and drones were intercepted by the US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to hit their targets, which included Western warships.
The rebels claim they are attacking ships linked to Israel, the United States or the United Kingdom to stop Israel’s operations against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some with Iran.
These attacks include a bombing that hit a Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion in the Red Sea. Rescuers have begun towing a burning tanker to prevent a catastrophic spill of its one million barrels of oil.
Gambrel writes for the Associated Press.
