The Houthis haven’t launched footage for the newest assault, however have proven downing US drones with missiles earlier than.
The Houthis have claimed to have shot down a United States navy drone over Yemen, within the newest assault by the group, which has disrupted delivery commerce by way of the essential Bab al-Mandeb Strait, drawing US strikes.
The Yemeni group has carried out dozens of assaults on ships with hyperlinks to Israel in a present of solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel’s 11-month-old warfare on Gaza.
Yahya Saree, the navy spokesman of the Houthi group, mentioned in a prerecorded video message launched early on Sunday that the MQ-9 Reaper was shot down by air defences over Marib as “it was finishing up hostile actions”.
That is the eighth drone of this type to be shot down for the reason that begin of the warfare on Gaza, he mentioned. The group has not thus far launched footage of the downed assault and surveillance plane that prices about $30m.
The superior drones, which may fly at altitudes as much as 15,240 metres (50,000 ft) and for as much as 24 hours, have been flown by US navy and intelligence forces over Yemen for years. That features throughout years of civil warfare that broke out after the Houthis rebelled in opposition to the federal government in late 2014. The preventing has largely ended after a UN-brokered ceasefire in December 2023.
Houthi forces will proceed to mount assaults in assist of Palestinians and “are within the strategy of strengthening defensive capabilities” to confront persevering with joint air strikes by the US and United Kingdom on Yemen, in response to Saree.
US strikes in Yemen?
After the video was launched, the Houthi-run Al Masirah satellite tv for pc information channel reported a number of US-led strikes close to town of Ibb south of capital Sanaa.
The US navy didn’t instantly reply to both declare of air strikes or the taking pictures down of the its drone over Yemen.
The most recent assaults on Yemen claimed by the US navy got here on Friday, when its forces mentioned they destroyed a Houthi-launched drone and a “assist automobile”.
Final week, the US navy mentioned the Houthis attacked two crude oil tankers, together with the Saudi-flagged Amjad and the Panama-flagged Blue Lagoon within the Pink Sea, calling them “reckless acts of terrorism”.
The Houthi navy claimed duty for focusing on the Blue Lagoon with a number of missiles and drones however didn’t make any point out of the Saudi tanker.
The Amjad was carrying about two million barrels of oil, in response to the US navy, which didn’t report any casualties.
In late August, the Houthis launched footage of fighters boarding the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion, and detonating explosives on the ship, which has prompted issues of an environmental catastrophe.
The Yemeni group, which landed an explosive-laden drone in Tel Aviv in July killing one particular person, have mentioned their assaults will solely cease when Israel’s killings in Gaza stop.
Greater than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its devastating warfare on October 7.