Houthis Claim Downing of US-Made Drone Amid Rising Regional Tensions

The Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed to have shot down another US-made MQ-9 Reaper drone. This incident, along with recent missile and drone strikes on vessels, exacerbates the volatility in the Red Sea region. The US military has not confirmed the loss, reflecting the ongoing conflict's complexity.

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed Monday they shot down another American-made MQ-9 Reaper drone over the country, with videos purportedly showing a surface-to-air missile striking it.

The US military did not immediately acknowledge losing any aircraft. The claimed attack comes as the one-year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip approaches.

The Houthis have targeted ships travelling through the Red Sea over the war as US-led airstrikes pound their positions in Yemen. That's imperiled a waterway that typically sees USD 1 trillion of trade pass through it, as well as crucial shipments of aid to war-torn Sudan and Yemen.

The Houthis also continue to launch missiles targeting Israel, drawing retaliatory airstrikes from the Israelis this weekend on the port city of Hodeida.

The Houthi-run broadcaster Al-Masirah claimed shooting down the MQ-9, hours after video footage circulated online showing the purported missile striking the aircraft over Yemen's Saada province. A single image online also appeared to show wreckage of the drone, with pieces resembling that of an MQ-9.

The US military did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. General Atomics Reapers, which cost around USD 30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The aircraft have been flown by both the US military and the CIA over Yemen for years.

Since Houthis seized the country's north and its capital of Sanaa in 2014, the US military has seen Reapers shot down in Yemen in 2017, 2019, 2023 and 2024. The US military acknowledged the Houthis shot down two MQ-9s in September.

Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that has also killed four sailors.

Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels as well.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel's campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

Those attacks include a barrage that struck the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion in the Red Sea. Salvagers have towed away the burning oil tanker, hoping to avoid a catastrophic leak of its 1 million barrels of oil on board.

Firefighting efforts onboard the Sounion began last week and “the operation has proceeded with promising results as some fires are extinguished and other under control,” the Joint Maritime Information Center reported Monday.

The centre, overseen by the US Navy, also acknowledged the last attack on a merchant ship by the Houthis came on September 2, but the rebels remain a threat.

“Despite a drop in attacks against merchant vessels over the last two weeks, the Houthis have shown ability and willingness to target US Navy assets and coalition partners,” the centre said. The Houthis claimed an attack targeted American warships last week.

(With inputs from agencies.)