Houthis claim to have shot down US MQ-9 Reaper drone over Yemen

The Houthis from the rebel movement Ansar Allah have shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance and strike drone over Yemen’s Sanaa province, where the country’s capital—controlled by the insurgents—is located.

The statement was made by Yahya Saree, a spokesperson for the Houthi-formed armed forces, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

"Our air defense forces succeeded in shooting down an American MQ-9 drone that was carrying out hostile missions in the airspace of Sanaa province. The aircraft was destroyed by a domestically produced surface-to-air missile," the movement’s representative said during a broadcast on Al Masirah TV, which is affiliated with the Houthis.

According to Saree, this is the second MQ-9 Reaper downed by the Houthis in Yemeni airspace within the last 24 hours. In total, the rebels claim to have shot down 21 such American drones since the escalation of the Middle East conflict in October 2023. Of those, six were destroyed this month alone, during the intensified U.S. military operation against the Houthis that began on March 15. 

Meanwhile, the U.S. Congressional Research Service stated that each MQ-9 Reaper drone is estimated to cost around $30 million.

To note, tensions between the Houthi group and the United States have intensified since Washington resumed airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15, after the group announced plans to resume attacks on Israeli targets, citing Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza as the reason.

Earlier on April 19, the US army launched 29 fresh airstrikes on Houthi targets in northern Yemen, while Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Houthi Revolutionary Committee, vowed to retaliate.

By Khagan Isayev