The Pentagon has refuted the Houthis’ claims of shooting down 10 drones since last November. However, the Defense Department confirmed the loss of an MQ-9 Reaper drone near Yemen, following assertions by Iran-backed Houthi rebels of downing multiple such aircraft recently.
During a press briefing on September 17, Defense Department spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder stated that an MQ-9 had crashed near Yemen, with the incident currently under investigation. Ryder dismissed the Houthis’ claim of shooting down 10 drones as exaggerated, emphasizing that the actual number of drones lost in Yemen was not accurately represented by the rebels.
Since the Houthis took control of northern Yemen in 2014, the U.S. military has observed Reapers being shot down in the country in 2017, 2019, 2023, and this year. The Houthis released videos showing the downing of an MQ-9 drone, with a propeller similar to those used by the drone visible in the flames. The U.S.-designated terrorist group claimed this was the third drone they had shot down in the past week.
The State Department designated the Houthis as a terrorist organization in January, following a series of attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden shipping lanes. The attacks were seen as acts of retaliation against Israel, though many victims had no direct connection to the conflict.
In a separate incident, the Houthis launched a hypersonic missile at central Israel, which the Israeli military stated likely fragmented in mid-air, causing no injuries but triggering air raid sirens and prompting residents to seek shelter near Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.
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