On Tuesday, the Pentagon verified that the Houthis, whom Iran supports, shot down a U.S. surveillance drone near the Yemeni coast with a surface-to-air missile, according to preliminary assessments.
The Pentagon is now investigating the reason for the MQ-9 Reaper drone crash after the Houthis’ claim of successfully downing an American drone. At a news conference on Tuesday, Sabrina Singh, the deputy press secretary for the Pentagon, acknowledged the drone was shot down but said that she does not believe it had been recovered at this time.
This is the second drone downing claimed by Houthi militants near the port of Al Hudaydah since Israel’s battle against Hamas started in October, and the United States promised its backing.
According to the statement, the Houthis carried out their activities with the goal of retaliation for the American-British aggression against their country and supporting the oppressed Palestinian people. They said an aggressive stance will be maintained until Israel stops its airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, according to the Iran-backed faction that controls the majority of Yemen.
The Houthis launched missile assaults on the Belize-flagged ship Rubymar on Sunday, causing extensive damage. The boat was passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. According to Maritime Trade Operations in the UK, military officials helped after the crew abandoned the ship due to the assaults.
Two American ships were not named in the Houthis’ allegation of assault later on Monday.
The Greek-flagged, U.S.-owned bulk freighter The Sea Champion was attacked twice, transporting grain from Argentina to Aden, Yemen. The incident was attributed to UKMTO and private security agency Ambrey.
In November, while passing through international airspace close to Yemen, the Houthis shot down a further MQ-9 surveillance drone.
According to a statement from the military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), the United States destroyed a Houthi UUV, a subsurface drone, for the first time over the weekend.
In regions of Yemen controlled by the Houthis, CENTCOM troops launched five self-defense strikes against three anti-ship cruise missiles, a surface drone, and the UUV on Saturday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. local time.
As of the previous weekend, the Houthis have attacked foreign trade and navy vessels 46 times since November 19th.
The United States has launched many large-scale strikes on Houthi targets and dozens of dynamic strikes on their missiles or drones that are ready to fire, yet the assaults continue.
