The Pentagon is investigating the cause of the crash of a U.S. military surveillance drone off the coast of Yemen on Monday morning, two U.S. officials said.
Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss operational issues, confirmed that the drone, an MQ-9 Reaper, fell from the sky. Iran-backed Houthi rebels said on Monday that they had shot down a drone near the western Yemeni port city of al-Hudaydah.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saleh said: “Yemeni air defense forces were able to use appropriate missiles to shoot down a US military aircraft (MQ-9) that was carrying out a hostile mission against our country on behalf of a Zionist entity. I was able to do it,” he said. statement.
“The Yemeni military will not hesitate to take further military measures and carry out higher-quality operations against any hostile targets in order to protect our beloved Yemen,” the statement said.
If the Houthis' claims are confirmed, it would be the second time they have shot down a U.S. drone since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and Israel's response plunged the region into crisis.
The downing of the Reaper drone, the mainstay of the US military's air surveillance fleet, is a new escalation in violence between the US and Iranian-backed groups in Yemen, Iraq and Syria. These developments have escalated over the past two months, highlighting the risk that the conflict between Israel and Hamas could escalate into a broader war.
The United States struck five Houthi military targets in Yemen's Houthi-held areas on Saturday, including an underwater drone, the military's Central Command said.
The statement said it was believed to be the first use of underwater drones since the Houthis launched operations against ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on October 23.
The Houthis say the attack is in solidarity with Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip, who are living under Israeli retaliatory attacks.
The escalation of attacks triggered an international maritime response led by the United States, including a series of attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen.
The United States has accused Iran of providing supplies to the Houthis. But American officials acknowledge that the Iranian government does not directly control the Houthis or the many other Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria.
