A U.S. military MQ-9 drone was shot down on Wednesday by Yemen’s Houthis, two U.S. officials and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement said.
While U.S. drones have been shot down by Houthis in the past, this incident comes at a particularly tense time in the region.
Washington is on heightened alert for activity by Iran-backed groups as regional tensions soar during the Israel-Hamas war.
The U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the drone, made by General Atomics, had been brought down off the coast of Yemen. They did not say if it was taken down in international airspace.
In a statement, a Houthi military spokesperson said they shot down the drone in airspace over Yemeni territorial waters.
The following statement was released, “In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful. With the help of God Almighty, our air defenses were able to shoot down an American MQ 9 aircraft. The aircraft was conducting hostile, monitoring, and spying activities within Yemeni territorial waters. These activities were carried out within the framework of American military support for the Israeli entity.
The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm their legitimate right to defend the country and confront all hostile threats with the appropriate weapons, with God’s help. Yemen’s armed forces vow to continue military operations against Israel to support Palestine.”
In 2019, U.S. drones were brought down on two separate occasions by the group in Yemen.
Sources: Reuters; Bulgarian Military; X