A US drone that crashed in Yemen was apparently shot down by a Houthi missile

CNN
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Early indications are that a US MQ-9 Reaper drone crashes A surface-to-air missile was shot down by the Houthis early Monday near Hodeidah in Yemen, a US official said on Tuesday.

Earlier, officials said it was not clear whether the drone was shot down or simply crashed. A spokesman for the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said in a statement released to X on Monday that the MQ-9 was shot down “by an appropriate missile.”

The investigation into Monday's incident is ongoing.

The Houthis shot down an MQ-9 — an unmanned drone typically used for intelligence gathering — off the coast of Yemen in November.

The Houthis appear to have shot down the US drone amid regular attacks by the rebel group on merchant shipping in the Red Sea and escalating attacks by the US on their capabilities in Yemen. to publish.

On Monday alone, the Houthis launched a barrage of missiles and drones at merchant ships and U.S. and coalition warships over several hours. In two instances, they attacked US-owned merchant ships, a US official said.

Between 12:30pm and 1:50pm on Monday, two anti-ship missiles were fired at the US-owned, Greek-flagged grain carrier M/V Sea Champion in the Gulf of Aden. Although the attack caused minor damage, no injuries were reported, the official said. The US-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged M/V Navis Fortuna, a bulk carrier, was hit by a one-way attack drone on Monday evening, resulting in minor damage but no injuries. Navis Fortuna continues its journey, the official said.

A spokesman for the Houthis said on Monday evening that the group had targeted two US ships with “an appropriate number of naval missiles”, which it said was in support of the Palestinian people and in response to “US-British aggression against Yemen”.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller called for an attack on the Sea Champion on Tuesday, saying it was carrying “corn and other food supplies to the Yemeni people in Aden.”

“This was a reckless attack on a ship delivering humanitarian aid to the Yemeni people, and I think it's another sign of the Houthis' continued disregard not only for international shipping, but for goods that benefit the surrounding civilians. The world, in many cases, is far from the region, but ultimately, For their own people,” Miller said.

Two more anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired on Monday evening at the M/V Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier, one of which struck and damaged the vessel. Rubimer issued a distress call and a coalition warship and merchant ship responded to assist.

The US took action on Monday, including destroying a surface-to-air missile. At 8:15 p.m. Monday, the United States destroyed a one-way strike drone in western Yemen that it was preparing to launch against ships in the Red Sea.

Over the course of several hours that evening — from about 8 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. — 10 more one-way attack drones were shot down by U.S. and coalition aircraft and warships over the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the official said.

USS Laboon, a US Navy destroyer, also shot down an anti-ship missile heading in its direction.

On Saturday, the US conducted five self-defense strikes against three mobile anti-ship cruise missiles, an unmanned surface vessel and an unmanned underwater vessel in Yemen.

It was the first time the Houthis had used an unmanned underwater vehicle since their offensive began in October. Centcom reportedFollowing Hamas's invasion of Israel and Israel's campaign in Gaza.

There is also America carried out Many strikes Working with the UK over the past several weeks, it has targeted munitions, launch systems, command and control nodes, storage sites and aircraft surveillance.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.